By Starlight
by BitterGrin
Summary: Sequel to By Gravelight. Troy struggles to return to a normal life after everything he and his closest friends have been through. Tryan Slash.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** Sequel to _By Gravelight_. Troy struggles to return to a normal life after everything he and his closest friends have been through. Tryan Slash.

**Disclaimer:** As much as I wish I owned Disney, I don't. So I don't own High School Musical either.

**Warning:** This is Slash, which means hot boy on boy action, if you don't like it, don't read it.

**Warning:** If you haven't read the two prequels, you'll be pretty lost.

**Warning:** It's horror, so there will be some deaths, but I promise that Troy, Ryan, Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, Jason, Kelsi, Sharpay, Jesse, and Joey survive.

**Warning:** There will be werewolves and other supernatural critters.

**Chapter 1**

My name is Troy Hunter Bolton, and I don't have any secrets you don't already know about. Ryan insisted I start my part of the story off this way, and I just can't say no to him.

* * *

I woke up, someone was leaning against my side, snoring. I opened my eyes and saw a shock of platinum blond hair. I snuggled closer to my boyfriend. It still felt weird to think of him like that, but he's the best thing that ever happened to me.

I looked around the room. Jason and Kelsi were passed out on the far end of the couch, and Gabriella was sleeping on the floor with a pillow.

Sharpay was sitting in my father's chair, her eyes red and puffy. It looked like she'd been crying, but was now chewing on her fingernails.

She saw me move and her eyes darted up to meet mine, and then she looked away.

After so many years of knowing her as the 'ice princess' I didn't think I'd ever get used to seeing her like this. So vulnerable. So human.

"What's wrong?" I whispered.

She met my eyes again, but only for an instant. "You should talk to your mother."

Worried now, I disentangled myself from Ryan, pausing to smell his hair and place a kiss on his forehead before going into the kitchen.

Mom and Kelsi's parents were there, having a quiet conversation that died as soon as I entered.

"Mom, what's going on?"

She gave me a sad smile. Her eyes were even redder than Sharpay's.

"Sit down, honey." She stood and offered me her chair.

I sat down.

"Do you want some breakfast?" She asked, heading towards the refrigerator.

"Uh, sure… I guess."

Neither of Kelsi's parents would meet my gaze as I looked around the table.

"You're father… had to leave, honey."

"What?" My eyes focused on my mom, she continued pulling things out of the refrigerator.

I didn't understand what she was trying to tell me.

"When will he be back?"

She turned and looked at me again, with the same sad smile. "He can't come back, Troy. Not for a long time."

My jaw hit the floor. "What?" I asked again.

"The police are going to have questions, lots of them." Mr. Nielsen said.

"We can't just cover everything up. Someone had to take the blame." Mrs. Nielsen said.

"Why him?"

"Troy, the police already suspected him. It's the only way." Mom turned on the stove as she spoke.

"Why didn't he wait? Why didn't he say goodbye?" The only emotion I felt was shock.

"He thought… he thought it would be easier on you this way."

I blinked. I couldn't think of anything to say. I sat in silence for a long time.

Mom set a plate loaded with pancakes down in front of me.

I picked at them.

I wanted to be hurt. I wanted to cry. But my thoughts kept drifting to Jason, sleeping in the next room. How could my grief compare to his. My dad abandoned us to go into hiding. He'd found his father's head lying on the floor of a god-forsaken cave.

A yawn from the doorway startled me.

"Why didn't you tell me breakfast was ready?" Ryan asked in mock anger.

I tried to give him a smile, but failed.

He was at my side in an instant. "What's wrong?"

"My dad left." It hadn't seemed real until I said those words. Somewhere deep inside I still hoped that Mom was just playing some sick joke on me.

"What?" Ryan turned to look at my mom; she avoided his gaze as she had mine.

"Someone has to take the blame." Mrs. Nielsen said.

Ryan nodded, and then folded me into a hug.

At least I still had him.

I hugged him back, holding on to him like an overboard sailor grabbing for a life preserver.

Sharpay came into the room and helped herself to the pile of pancakes growing by the stove as Mom continued to cook.

Ryan pulled back from me, a single tear falling down his perfect cheek.

He turned to his sister. "Sharpay…"

She held up a hand. "I know, Ryan. I heard everything."

He nodded and turned back to me, taking a bite of food from my untended plate.

I reached up and pulled him onto my lap. I craved his presence, his smell, everything about him. He ground his butt against me as he continued to eat my breakfast.

Sharpay sat down at the table. "They bit Joey."

Ryan nodded.

I shrugged.

"How's Jesse doing?" I asked.

"His wounds aren't bleeding any more, and I cleaned all the filth out, at least all that I could. It's in his hands now." Mom said.

"If you find any more hunters, please be sure to let us know this time." Mrs. Nielsen said.

I shot her a glare.

Sharpay nodded. "We will."

I looked at Sharpay like she was an alien.

"What?" She asked before shoveling a forkful of pancakes into her mouth.

Mrs. Nielsen rolled her eyes and stood up. "We're going to go clean the Cross's house. Keep an eye on the kids, Lucille."

She led her husband from the room, and I heard the front door open and close. Just like it must have when Dad left.

A tear rolled down my cheek.

I felt angry; angry at Dad for leaving, and angry at Mom for letting him.

I wrapped my arms around Ryan's waist; at least I still had him. I leaned close to his ear, and smelled him. "You could use a shower."

He turned his head, and mumbled passed a gigantic wad of pancakes. "So could you."

I gave him a wink.

He stood up, and I led him upstairs to the guest bathroom.

"You're going to wake everyone in the house." Sharpay called after us.

As soon as we were in the bathroom I pushed Ryan against the bathroom door, with more force than I'd intended. He didn't seem to mind.

I pressed my lips against his, tasting the fake maple syrup still on his lips.

I opened my mouth and nibbled on his upper lip, savoring the taste of the syrup.

He gnawed for a moment on my lower lip, and then his tongue pressed against my mouth, begging for entrance.

I opened my mouth and let his tongue force its way inside.

I nibbled on his tongue as I had his lip.

He turned, forcing my back against the door.

A moan of pleasure escaped through our kiss. I couldn't tell if it was mine or his, at that moment I wasn't sure there was a difference.

I grasped his head with my right hand, and ran my fingers through his short, soft hair.

I pressed my tongue into his mouth and he let me.

He pulled back and began unbuttoning his shirt.

I pulled off my t-shirt, and unbuttoned my jeans.

Once we were both naked he pushed me again into the door. His hands pressing against my shoulders.

**-Cut Sex Scene-**

"They're going to kill us for waking them up." He said.

I grinned. "Let them, you're worth it."

He smiled wider and leaned in, placing a chaste kiss on my lips. "We should finish before we use all the hot water."

I nodded and took my bottle of shampoo off the shelf. I lathered his hair up and he did mine. After we were clean we turned off the shower and stepped out. There was only one towel; I let Ryan use it first.

After we were dry, well as dry as I could get from a wet towel, we put our clothes back on and went downstairs again. Kelsi, Jason, and Gabriella all shot us murderous glares as we walked past the living room.

"Well it sounded like you two had fun." Sharpay said as we entered the kitchen, she was leaning back in her chair, an empty plate before her.

I smiled and pulled Ryan into a kiss.

* * *

We spent the rest of the day working on our stories while cleaning out our cars.

To my surprise Gabriella and Sharpay had already done a thorough job on both Ryan's car and my truck, but we had to go over them again with a black light, and get as much as blood out as we possibly could. The upholstery was a loss, there's no way to get blood stains out of it, and worse there'd be blood we couldn't even see that had soaked into the padding.

We scrubbed the upholstery with ammonia, so that at least if the police searched our cars, which we hoped they wouldn't have reason to, they wouldn't get any DNA.

The story we were going to tell, which didn't quite mesh with the facts, but it was the best we could do, was that Mr. and Mrs. Cross had gone with my father last night, and none of us had seen them since.

We just had to hope that none of Jason's neighbors had seen who got into whose car the night before, and that none of my neighbors had seen my father leave that morning.

Kelsi's parents took everything incriminating from Jason's basement and hid it in a storage locker they rented under an assumed name, and then took Jason home that night, where he'd call the police and report his parents missing.

He was a mess all day. He just walked around in a daze without saying a single word. I can't even begin to imagine what he was going through.

This left us with only the problem of Jesse.

The police would search our house, everyone was sure of it, and we couldn't afford to let them find him in his condition. He hadn't woken up, we weren't even sure if he ever would, but he couldn't stay at my house any longer. We carried him downstairs with all the care we could, accompanied by Joey's protests every step of the way.

We took them back to Ryan and Sharpay's house, my mother supervising the transport as best she could. After that I hugged Ryan goodbye, and we returned home, just the two of us.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

Home had never felt so empty before. Only Mom's minivan and my truck were parked in the garage.

Mom busied herself in the kitchen; I collapsed on the couch and flipped on the TV. I considered watching some basketball, but it just didn't feel right to watch it without my dad.

He was always pressuring me, always giving me the same bullshit about how I needed to 'get my head in the game'. He terrified Ryan. You'd almost think I would've been happy to have him gone for a little while. But I wasn't, and it wasn't just going to be a little while. I didn't know if I'd ever see him again.

I didn't appreciate what an important part of my life my father was until he was gone. I wanted to feel sorry for myself, but I couldn't do that either. Everytime I started to, my thoughts went back to Jason. I hate to admit it, even to myself, okay especially to myself, but I was angry at Jason. By losing his parents, he made me feel guilty about missing Dad.

"Troy, dinner's ready."

I turned off the TV and went into the kitchen.

We ate in silence. My mom had cooked way too much food; way more than even two werewolves could eat.

A loud knock came from the door.

I answered it to find two uniformed police officers on the doorstep. The same two that had questioned my dad months before.

"Is your father here?" The taller one asked.

I shook my head. "No. He hasn't been home all day."

The shorter one held up a folded piece of paper. "We have a warrant to search the premises, please step aside."

I stepped back, relying on my limited acting training to fake a look of surprise.

"Mom, the police are here. They have a search warrant."

Mom came out of the kitchen. "What? Why?"

She turned to look at the cops.

"Ma'am, do you know where we can find your husband?" The shorter one asked.

She shook her head. "No, I haven't seen him since last night."

They asked more questions then. They asked us questions together. They asked us questions separately. More police showed up and turned the house upside down.

They took us to the station, and asked even more questions. Where was I the night before? Why was I out of school all week? How well did my father know the Crosses?

It was after midnight before we were allowed to go home.

My room was a mess. Every drawer had been emptied onto my floor.

I didn't care. I collapsed onto my bed and fell asleep.

* * *

My ringing phone woke me up the next day.

I glanced at the clock as I rolled over and searched the mess on my floor for where I'd left my phone.

It was well after noon, but I felt like I hadn't slept at all.

The phone stopped ringing before I found it.

I flipped it open, five missed calls, all from Ryan. I didn't bother to listen to the voicemails, I just pressed his button; he's number one on my speed dial.

"Troy!" He answered, sounding far more refreshed than I was.

"Hey, Ry. What's up?"

"Did I wake you?" He sounded concerned.

"Yeah. We were at the police station pretty late last night."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd still be asleep."

"Don't worry about it. What's up?" I asked again.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to come over."

I sat up and scratched, taking in the disaster that was my room.

"I'd love to…"

"But?"

"They searched the house too. It looks like there was a tornado in my room. I really need to help my mom clean up before I go anywhere."

"Okay. Well give me a call when you get done."

I smiled. "You know it."

"I love you, Troy."

"I love you too, Ry."

I snapped the phone shut after he'd hung up and set it on my nightstand.

Why the hell did they have to search my room? Did they think he was hiding in my sock drawer?

I stumbled into my bathroom and took a long hot shower. It helped me feel more awake at least.

I set to work cleaning my room, which consisted of me shoving things into any drawer they'd fit in.

When I went downstairs I found that Mom had already cleaned up the rest of the house. I felt guilty for letting her do it alone.

I found her crying on the couch, a box of tissues sitting next to her as she attempted to watch TV.

"I would've helped."

She jumped a little then looked at me. "I know."

I sat down next to her. "Do you work tonight?"

She nodded. "My shift starts in an hour."

"Are you going to be okay?"

She nodded again. "It'll be good to go to work, to get out of this empty house."

I sat with her until she left.

I bolted out of the house as soon as she was gone. I didn't want to be there alone anymore than she did.

I snapped my phone open and dialed Ryan.

"Hey beautiful."

"Hey, Ry. Still up for company?"

"Well… I'll have to kick Raul out, but I guess I could make some room in my schedule for you."

"You think you're funny, don't you?"

"No. I know I'm funny."

I chuckled.

"See, and so do you."

* * *

I arrived at his house a few minutes later, and he opened the door with a smile. He was every bit as handsome as the first time I'd laid eyes on him.

I greeted him with a kiss, and held him in my arms.

"How's Jesse doing?" I asked.

He shrugged. "He looks a lot better, and my bite is already scarring, but he still hasn't woken up."

I shook my head as I walked into their vast living room. Sharpay was sitting on the couch changing channels.

"Just the three of us?" I asked.

Sharpay nodded. "Gabriella told her mother what happened."

"Ouch. How long is she grounded?"

"Forever from what I hear." Ryan said and dragged me towards are normal love seat.

"Actually I think her mother's exact words were, 'until you learn not to be an idiot like your father.'"

"Ouch." I sat down beside Ryan.

Sharpay shrugged. "Not my problem. I told her to lie."

I looked at their huge television. "ESPN?"

Sharpay jumped and fumbled for the remote. "Eww… how did that happen?"

She changed the channel to Lifetime.

"So, are you going to try out for the spring play, Troy?" Ryan asked.

I blinked. "I don't know. It's not a musical and I'm not a very good actor."

Sharpay laughed. "You can say that again."

I shot her a glare, and she laughed again.

"Hey! No mocking my boyfriend. Only I may mock him." Ryan said.

Sharpay began convulsing in laughter.

I chucked a pillow at her.

She caught it and put it behind her head.

* * *

My mother worked all night, so I let Ryan convince me to stay the night. Not that it ever took him much work. I love waking up next to him, even if he does hog the covers.

Sharpay drove us into school; I was exiled to her miniscule back seat.

Everyone looked at us as we entered the school that morning. Correction, everyone looked at me.

At first I thought they were just curious about where we'd been for the last week, but then I heard them whisper as I walked by. What the Hell was going on?

Ryan went to homeroom, and Chad ambushed me at my locker.

"Dude, is it true?" He asked.

"Is what true?" I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Everyone's saying that Coach is the East High Slayer, and Taylor said that a cheerleader told her that Kelsi said he took out Jason's parents with an axe."

Even I was surprised at how fast gossip could get around the school.

I shook my head. "I don't know." I lied.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I haven't seen my dad since Friday; no one knows where he is." The second half of that was true at least.

Chad's eyes widened. "Dude, he skipped town?"

I shrugged, wanting to be anywhere but talking to Chad.

Everywhere I went that day the whispers followed me. Before lunch I'd gone from the school's goldenboy to 'Son of East High Slayer'.

Ryan, Sharpay, Gabriella, and I sat alone at lunch. Not even Chad approached our table, for which I was both thankful and hurt.

Gabriella spent lunch trying to get caught up on a week's worth of homework.

"Any word from your father?" Sharpay asked her.

Gabriella shook her head.

Ryan nodded and turned to me. "So I heard what everyone is saying."

I nodded and picked at my food. I was hungry, but didn't feel like eating.

"How bad is it?" He asked.

I shrugged. "Worse than coming out, but I'll live."

He took my hand and squeezed it.

I was surprised to see Jason in gym class. Everyone tried to talk to him, to ask him what happened, but he didn't speak a word to anyone.

He gave me a cold shoulder in class, but gave me a sad smile in the locker room when no one else was watching. We each had our part to play.

I never thought I'd be so happy to climb into Sharpay's obnoxious pink convertible as I was at the end of that day.

I was going to call Mom, but found a message from her on my voicemail first. She'd taken an extra shift at the hospital, she wouldn't be home tonight either.

I sighed and tapped Ryan on the shoulder.

He turned down the music Sharpay had blaring and turned around to look at me.

"Can we stop by my place? I need to get a change of clothes."

He nodded, as did Sharpay.

Ryan came in with me when we arrived, and I was glad that he did. The place felt creepy now. I packed a few days of clothes in my gym bag and we returned to the car.

Ryan and Sharpay's parents were home when we arrived.

They greeted their children with enthusiasm. Ryan's mother embraced him while calling him 'ducky', and his father straightened his hat.

His father then turned to me. "Ah, Troy. Just the man I was looking for."

He handed me a thick envelope. "I was hoping I'd get to deliver that in person."

I noted the University of Albuquerque seal on the front and turned it over.

"You're being offered a full basketball scholarship, son."

Mr. Evans clapped me on the back.

I ripped it open and pulled out the long letter inside. I didn't understand much of it. Lots of things about the date I needed to accept by, and when I needed to register for classes by.

It was everything my father had ever wanted for me, and he wasn't here to see it. I put on a fake smile and thanked Ryan's father.

He clapped me on the back again before going upstairs with his wife.

"Troy. That's fantastic!" Ryan exclaimed, bouncing up and down.

I gave him a half smile. "Yeah. I just wish my father was here to see it."

Ryan's face fell, and he took my hand.

"I'm going to check on Jesse." Sharpay said as she climbed the stairs.

I looked at the letter in my hand and for the first time since Dad had left, I let myself cry.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 **

Jesse's condition didn't much improve that day, or the next.

Ryan's bite had now faded to the point where it looked like an old scar, much as the bite marks on Ryan and Sharpay's ankles had done, but the other thing's bite was still scabbing over and oozing diseased pus.

Joey never left his side.

Mom worked four shifts in a row. I stayed with Ryan every night.

Thursday was the first night of the full moon. I tried to spend the night with my mom, but she told me she was going to go to bed early, and that I should go to Ryan's in case Jesse or Joey changed early.

She'd been distant ever since Dad disappeared, never talking, and throwing herself into either work or whatever house hold chore she could find. The house had never looked so spotless. I was beginning to feel like I'd lost both of my parents.

I didn't even have a chance to tell her about my scholarship.

I gathered some more of my clothes and headed over to Ryan's without even calling first.

He didn't seem too surprised to see me.

"Staying the night again?"

I nodded and he let me in, picking up a piece of paper from the entry table as I closed the door. He turned and handed it to me.

"What's this?"

"The alarm codes."

"Why would I need these?"

"To go with these." He handed me a key ring with two keys on it.

I took it and stared. "The key to your house?"

"And one for my room." He winked at me.

I smiled and pulled him into an embrace, planting my lips on his. I pulled back when I heard a door open and close upstairs. "Are your parents here?"

He shook his head. "Sharpay convinced them to go on a date; they shouldn't be back until late."

"Why'd she do that?"

"In case Jesse or Joey changes."

I nodded again, and carried my bag to my boyfriend's room.

Ryan sat down on his bed, and I joined him.

"So, are you going to take the University's offer?"

I blinked. "I haven't really thought about it."

"Well, where else did you apply?"

"Most of the Pac-10."

"Did you get in?"

I nodded. "Yeah, to all of them, but I haven't heard anything about scholarships from them yet."

"What about you. Where are you going?" I asked.

"Well, I always wanted to go to Juilliard."

"Did you get in?"

He flashed me a half smile. "Of course, we both did."

I nodded. "New York is pretty far away."

"I'm not leaving you."

I shook my head. "I can't let you do that for me."

"I'm not. I'm doing it for me."

"I'll give up my scholarship and work at a McDonald's in Brooklyn before I let you do that."

He laughed. "I'm not letting you do that. Besides, U of A's drama department isn't that bad."

"But it's no Juilliard."

He shrugged. "True. But Sharpay can't go there now even if she wants to."

"What do you mean?"

He gave me a strange look. "How do you think the local Oborotni would react to a Nagual showing up for college?"

I just stared at him. I hadn't even considered how everything that had happened to us could impact something as normal as going to college.

Ryan shook his head. "I'm not even sure how they'd react to us."

I sighed. "I guess its University of Albuquerque for me then."

"If it's any consolation, you look hot in your Redhawks' jacket."

"Poor Gabriella." I said.

"We're never going to be rid of each other." Ryan winked at me as he said it.

I pulled him into an embrace. "Good." I kissed him.

A shout echoed from the hallway.

Ryan pulled away from me and looked at his clock. It was after sunset.

"Shit."

We bolted for the door and raced to Joey and Jesse's room.

Sharpay was there before us.

Jesse was convulsing on the bed while Joey tried to hold his shoulders down.

I joined Joey at the head of the bed, placing my hands over his and forcing Jesse's twitching body down.

Sharpay and Ryan each grabbed a leg and held them in place.

I glanced down to see Jesse's face contort into a gruesome expression. I soon realized he wasn't just contorting, his face was getting longer.

"He's changing." I shouted.

"No duh." Sharpay shouted back.

I turned and looked at his chest. Fresh red skin was knitting over the place where the king's guard had bitten him. As I watched hair sprouted from the new skin and began spreading.

I looked back to his face just in time to see his eyes snap open. They were filled with panic.

"Carcosa!" He screamed, a look of terror further contorting his already inhuman features. He raised his arms and threw Joey and me off of him.

Ryan and Sharpay released his legs.

I stood up and watched as Jesse completed his first transformation.

I gasped. He didn't look right. For one he was spotted, for another the hair on his head and neck was thicker than that on the rest of his body.

"Uh… Ryan… why does he look like that?" Sharpay asked.

Jesse turned in her direction, and growled.

His legs tensed and he pounced.

I was able to position myself between him and Sharpay, and he landed on me hard. His jaws snapped for my throat.

"Sharpay. Leave. His wolf is panicking."

I couldn't see anything other than strange spotted wolf on my chest, but I heard the door slam shut.

I felt the familiar tingle start in my spine, followed by pressure throughout my body. I let just a little out, just enough to push Jesse off of me.

I stood up and locked my legs, my instincts guiding me in how to assert dominance.

Jesse backed away lowering his body and holding his ears back.

Joey stood up then, rubbing his head where'd he hit the wall.

Ryan stepped forward, also asserting dominance. I backed down; my inner wolf knew he was the alpha here.

Jesse rolled over, exposing his stomach and neck in an act of complete submission.

"Jesse." Ryan said.

The spotted wolf's eyes blinked, and seemed to clear.

"You're safe Jesse." Joey said still rubbing his head. "And pack a mean punch."

Ryan glared at Joey, angered over his violation of the pack dynamic.

Jesse rolled back over and climbed to his feet.

He looked down at one of his forepaws and gaped.

He looked up at Ryan.

"It was the only way to save you Jesse. I asked them to do it."

Jesse spun about to look at his boyfriend.

I took a deep breath and my wolf returned to sleep.

I glanced down at my shirt, noting the slash marks Jesse's claws had made.

"Aw man… I'm out another shirt."

Ryan shot me a glare. "Do you really think this is the time for that?"

I shrugged.

"Everything's going to be alright, Jess." Joey reached forward with his hand.

Jesse snapped at him.

Joey pulled his hand back. I noticed there was blood on it.

I moved along the edges of the room to Joey.

"What are you doing, Troy?"

"You're hurt. Let me take a look."

"I'm fine."

"No you're not. Look at your hand."

Jesse and Joey both stared at Joey's bloody hand. Jesse backed away, resuming a submissive posture.

There was blood in Joey's hair, but I couldn't find a source.

"Well?" Ryan asked.

I shrugged. "It's already closed."

Joey nodded. "Good."

He knelt down before his boyfriend and pulled up his sleeve revealing what looked like the scar left from a childhood dog bite.

"See, we're in the same boat now, Jess."

Jesse sniffed at his arm and looked at Joey, concern evident in his green eyes.

This time he let Joey place his clean hand on his head.

"Jesse. Do you have control? Can I let Sharpay back in?"

The spotted wolf nodded.

Ryan opened the door. "It's safe now. He has control."

Sharpay came back in and took a tentative step towards Jesse.

He looked at her as Joey patted his head. I saw a moment of, something fill his eyes, but then it was gone.

"Thank God, Jesse. We were all so worried." Sharpay said.

Jesse cocked his head to the side.

"Ryan, why does he have spots?" I asked.

"I have no idea."

Ryan and Sharpay took him downstairs while Joey washed up and I put on an undamaged shirt, something I was running out of.

I made it downstairs first and sat next to Ryan on our love seat.

Joey came down soon after and took a seat on the floor next to his boyfriend, wrapping the wolf in a hug.

Jesse licked his face.

* * *

Ryan got up before dawn the next morning to supervise Jesse's reverse transformation. I didn't much want to sleep in alone in the bed so I went with him.

He knocked on their door and then walked in.

Jesse was lying on the bed across Joey's feet.

I smiled, remembering a morning spent in a similar position when Ryan and I first changed.

Joey glared at us from his bed, but said nothing.

Jesse returned to his human form with the dawn. I looked away; shapechanging is never a pretty sight. The chorus of wet pops didn't make it sound too good either.

"How are you feeling?" Ryan asked.

"Hungry. I feel like I haven't eaten in a week."

Ryan laughed. "You haven't."

"What?"

"It's Friday, Jess." Joey said.

"Yeah man, you've been unconscious for a long time. We were really worried." I said.

Ryan and I examined his wounds, well we tried to. The bite mark the thing in the cave had given him was gone, there wasn't even a scar left to show where it had been.

Ryan's bite was well healed.

"We'll make breakfast, you need to shower. Ugh." Ryan said.

Jesse laughed. Joey threw his pillow at Ryan, it caught him in the face.

"Hey!"

I laughed.

Ryan cuffed the back of my head.

"Ow. What?"

All three of them giggled.

"See if you're getting any breakfast." I mumbled as I stormed from the room.

I made my way to the kitchen and turned on the stove. I knew I'd never be Zeke's equal, but I liked to think I'd gotten pretty good with bacon and eggs. At least no one complained at breakfast.

Jesse insisted on going to school. We told him he didn't have to, but he refused to listen, he was more worried about how much homework he'd need to catch up on than about being a werewolf.

It's a good thing he's gay. If he and Gabriella ever found a way to have kids, they'd be the most neurotic children ever born.

We filled them in on what had happened; Jason's parents dying and my dad leaving and being blamed for the killings.

The students parted before me at school, afraid that I'd flip out and kill them like my dad, but not so afraid they didn't still whisper behind my back.

Jason was still giving me the cold shoulder at school. But when he saw Jesse come in after us he rushed to the lighter boy and embraced him in a bear hug.

There was a Scholastic Decathlon thing coming up. So Jesse and Gabriella sat with Taylor. Ryan, Joey, Sharpay, and I sat alone at our table. Chad sat with the rest of the team, casting the occasional look my way.

I sighed. We'd grown apart. Before I'd been turned into a werewolf we were like brothers, but it wasn't like I could share that with him. And if I did, he'd have to become one of us too.

All of that had put a massive strain on our friendship, and now these rumors about my dad weren't helping.

"Unbelievable. He's been awake for less then 24 hours and he's already ditching me for that stupid team." Joey grumbled.

"It's Scholastic Decathlon. I think that makes it the opposite of a _stupid_ team." Sharpay said.

"You know he has to act like everything is normal." Ryan said.

"I know, but I'm not ready to stop being annoyed yet." Joey said.

Sharpay laughed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

I called Mom on the way back to Ryan's after school. We were alone in his car; Sharpay was driving Jesse and Joey.

"Hi, honey."

"Hey Mom, are you working tonight?"

"Yes, I'm covering for someone. How's Jesse doing?" I rolled my eyes. I knew it hadn't even been a week since Dad left, but I was beginning to think she intended to work herself into an early grave.

"Better. He changed last night."

"Already?"

"Yeah."

"Was their anything else… odd about it?" She asked.

"Well, now that you mention it, he's spotted. I've never even heard of a wolf with spots."

"Hmm… well, it probably doesn't matter. I'm just glad to hear he's back on his feet. Oh, would you look at the time, I've got to go. I love you, honey."

"I love you too, Mom."

She hung up.

"Is she working tonight?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah."

He took his hand off the gear shift and squeezed mine.

When we reached Ryan's house, Sharpay's car was already parked in front.

"How did she beat us here? We left first."

He rolled his eyes. "You've been in her car. The girl has a gold foot."

"Don't you mean lead foot?"

"I would if it was anyone else."

We walked inside laughing.

"What's so funny?" Sharpay called from the living room.

"Nothing, Sis." Ryan called.

I laughed even harder.

She stormed into the foyer. "You were talking about me again, weren't you?" She demanded while giving us her best pout.

We both burst out laughing.

She rolled her eyes. "Clearly my feminine wiles are lost on you." Then she huffed and stormed up the stairs.

We went into the living room, and Ryan's mother gave us a mock disapproving look. "Now Ducky, be nice to your sister or she'll get frown lines."

"Yes, Mother."

Jesse and Joey came in from the kitchen. Joey caught my eye and mouthed the word, 'Ducky'.

I shrugged.

"Now you boys be good tonight. We're going to the Opera."

"Lookout for phantoms." Joey called after her as she ascended the stairs.

"So, what's the plan for tonight… Ducky." Jesse asked.

Joey's eyes went wide and he giggled.

Ryan spun to face them. "If you're not careful it'll be roasting you on an open flame."

"Oh come on, he didn't mean anything by it… Ducky." I started laughing.

He turned to look at me, arching a single eyebrow in the most regal manner he could. "Et tu, Troy?"

"Hey. If you want me to _stab_ you in the back, you just have to ask."

"And we've now officially crossed into too much information." Joey announced.

My phone rang. I pulled it up to find Kelsi's name on the caller ID.

I flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Hey Troy. Do you mind if we come over?"

I blinked before remembering that Jason wasn't actually mad at me.

"Uh, I'm staying at Ryan's. Let me check."

I looked at Ryan. "Hey, is it cool if Jason and Kelsi come over?"

"And Gabriella." Said Kelsi's voice in my ear.

"And Gabriella."

Ryan shrugged. "I don't see why not. Tell them to bring pizza though."

I returned the phone to my mouth. "Yeah, he says bring pizza."

She laughed. "Meatlovers?"

"What else?"

"See ya when we get there."

"Yeah, see ya."

* * *

They arrived half an hour later, each laden down with a stack of boxes.

"Whoa, what's with all the food?" Ryan asked.

"We thought we'd throw a little post-Saint Patrick's day slash welcome to the pack party." Kelsi said.

"Wait. We didn't get a party." I said, taking the stack of pizzas from her and carrying them to the kitchen.

After setting the pies on the table I turned to find Jason.

He offered me his hand. "I'm really sorry about this week."

I shook his hand. "Hey, it's no big deal. We're all in this together, right?"

He smiled and nodded.

I turned to face Kelsi. "An axe?"

She shook her head. "I didn't say anything about an axe, and I think the current rumor is that he did it with a meat hook now."

I rolled my eyes.

Sharpay stuck her head into the kitchen. "Do I smell meatlovers'?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Sharpay."

She paused when she came around the corner. "Oh, hey, Jason."

"Hey Sharpay." He nodded at her and walked out of the kitchen.

I walked back into the living room and Gabriella leapt on me, folding me into a hug.

"How did you get away from your mom?"

"Uh… I lied."

"You? Lied? I don't believe it." Joey said from his seat on the couch.

"Shove it, _Teen Wolf Too_." She laughed.

Jason produced several bottles of liquor after Ryan's parent's left.

Everyone did some shots. Everyone but Jesse, who Sharpay thwarted at every turn.

"But why not?" He protested.

"Sunset is in half an hour, I'm not having a drunken dog rampaging around the house." Sharpay said taking a bottle from his hand.

Jesse sighed.

Jason poured everyone else a shot of the best whiskey he had and raised his glass. "To my parents."

We all raised our glasses, and drank. It tasted like liquid fire.

Ryan and Joey went upstairs with Jesse right before sunset.

I knew the moment of sunset without even looking through a window.

I took a deep breath and suppressed the familiar tingle. Jason did another shot.

They returned about fifteen minutes later, with the odd looking wolf that was Jesse in tow.

"Whoa, why does he get to look so cool?" Jason asked, already unsteady on his feet.

"He almost looks like a hyena." Gabriella said, and then burped.

"I wish I had a Mohawk like that when I change. I just turn into a shaggy brown mop." Jason said.

Jesse flashed the drunken boy a grin, and then laughed.

"He sounds like one too." Gabriella said.

"Any idea why, Kels?" I asked.

She shrugged. "No clue."

"What about him?" Jason asked, pointing at Joey.

Ryan smiled. "He's already regenerating. Next full moon for sure."

Joey gave a worried looking half smile.

Jason clapped him on the back. "Worst werewolf hunter _ever_."

Joey blushed.

Everyone else, including Jesse, laughed.

"He's right you know." Sharpay said.

"What?" Joey turned to look at her.

"Come on. Not only did you fail to kill a single werewolf, you willingly became one."

His blush deepened and Jason clapped him on the back again.

After another half hour of shots Kelsi switched Jason to water. He didn't seem to notice.

He passed out soon after that.

By that time Kelsi was sitting on the couch between Ryan and me.

"So how's he doing?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "As well as can be expected."

"I still can't believe his father died like that." Sharpay said.

Kelsi shrugged again. "It's better this way."

"Kelsi, how can you say that?" Ryan was shocked.

"Wolves mate for life Ryan."

"What?" I asked, not understanding her.

She sighed. "When a werewolf loses their mate… well… they don't last long after. Some waste away, others commit suicide. For all intents and purposes Jason's dad died when his wife did."

I blinked.

"So wait. You mean if anything happens to Troy, Ryan will…" Sharpay asked.

Kelsi nodded.

I looked at Ryan, and he met my gaze. I knew then, looking into his crystal blue eyes, that she was right, if anything ever happened to him, I wouldn't be able to go on.

He gave me a sad smile. I hoped he was feeling the same thing.

Jesse and Joey returned to their room when Ryan's parents came home, we couldn't exactly explain why there was a half-wolf half-hyena running around their living room.

Mr. Evans took a look around the living room, eyeing the empty bottles. "Well, I hope none of you intend to drive home tonight."

"No sir." Kelsi answered.

He nodded, and then escorted his wife to their bedroom.

The party, small as it was, died after that.

Ryan and I carried Jason up to a guest room, and left him in Kelsi's care.

We collapsed into Ryan's bed, and I at least fell right to sleep, the man of my dreams held in my arms.

* * *

I awoke to the sound of thunder echoing in my ears. At least it sounded like thunder. I blinked my eyes open. Ryan sat up in bed, and then grasped his head and fell backwards. "Bad idea…"

The thunder came again. I realized someone was knocking on the door.

"Come in." I called. Then grasped my head in regret.

Jesse stuck his head, looking far too cheerful. "Mrs. Evans says the cook has breakfast ready."

"And you had to pound on our door for that?" Ryan asked.

"No. That was for not letting me drink last night."

I hurled a pillow at the grinning boy, but he slammed the door shut before it reached him.

"Ow." I grabbed my head. "Never let me drink again."

"Ditto."

We stumbled into the shower, well I did at least. Ryan retched in the toilet.

"That's attractive." I said.

"Shove it, _Teen Wolf_."

I sighed. "You've been hanging around Gabi too much."

Ryan heaved again. I battled a wave of nausea of my own.

"We can regenerate knife wounds; why can't we regenerate hangovers?"

I shrugged and stepped into the hot shower, gulping down water from the shower head. Ryan joined me after vomiting for a third time, we traded places beneath the water and he washed his mouth out.

"Ugh."

"You can say that again."

Everyone else, except Jason, was already up when we went downstairs.

Gabriella, Sharpay, and Joey picked at their food; all three looked a little queasy. Kelsi on the other hand looked fine. She and Jesse were shoveling food into their mouths. I had to look away, battling another wave of nausea.

Ryan sat down, and shoved the plate away from him.

"How's my dashing boy this morning?" Ryan's mom asked as she strode into the room on her husband's arm.

"Sick."

She clicked her tongue. "Well that's what you get for drinking."

Gabriella's phone rang.

I covered my ears as I sat down next to Ryan.

"Hello?"

"Yes, Mom. I'm over at Jesse's."

"Yes, we spent all night studying for Scholastic Decathlon."

"Okay, here he is."

She handed the phone to Jesse.

"Uh, hello?"

"This is Jesse."

"Yeah, we studied all night."

He handed the phone back to Gabi.

"Yes, Mom. I'll be home soon."

She rolled her eyes as she hung up. "Thanks, Jesse."

He shrugged. "No problem."

Sharpay snorted. "Now she learns the wisdom of lying to her parents."

"Sharpay!" Her mom said. "You should be setting a better example for your school chums."

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mother."

Their mom grabbed a protein shake and headed out of the kitchen. "Well I'm off to my book club. Try not to let anyone vomit on anything too expensive."

Ryan nodded.

"Why do you look so good, Kelsi?" I asked.

"Russian blood." She said with obvious pride.

"Why can't we regenerate hangovers?" Ryan asked her.

Kelsi shrugged.

"Because it's not cellular damage." Gabriella said.

"Huh?"

"We only regenerate things that actually destroy cells. A hangover is mostly caused by dehydration." Gabriella said.

Jesse nodded.

"Fabulous." Sharpay said with disgust.

Jason made his way downstairs after we'd finished staring at our breakfasts in terror. He looked worse than any of us.

"How much did I drink?" He asked in a whisper.

I shrugged.

"Shoot me with a silver bullet if I ever look at another bottle."

"No problem." Joey said.

Everyone chuckled, including Jason.

"Well, I hate to ruin this, but if I don't get home soon my mother is going to gut me." Gabriella said, standing up.

Kelsi tossed some keys at Jesse. "You drive her. I'm not in any condition."

Jesse fumbled to catch the keys, and failed. He picked them up off the ground.

Jason sat down next to Kelsi.

Jesse and Gabriella left.

"Oh hey. I meant to tell you last night, Troy. I got into U of A." Jason said.

I flashed him a smile. "Cool man. Scholarship?"

He nodded.

"Sweet. I got in too."

He grinned. "Good, four more years to prove I'm the better player."

"In your dreams, Cross."

"Are you going too, Kelsi?" Sharpay asked.

The musical playmaker nodded.

Sharpay sighed. "Great. Four more years surrounded by wolves."

"Where are you and Jesse going?" Ryan asked, looking at Joey.

The boy shrugged. "Uh… we haven't really applied anywhere."

"What?" Sharpay asked.

Joey blushed. "Well, we were kind of focused on the whole hunter thing."

"You should apply to U of A. It's a little late, but I'm sure Daddy can pull some strings."

"I can't let you do that."

"Do you really think you can stop me?"

Joey sighed.

"That's right. Just accept that I always get what I want."

Ryan coughed.

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Fine, everything I want except for Troy."

I felt a blush creep into my cheeks and studied my feet.

Ryan put his arm around my shoulders. "That's right. This fine piece of man is all mine."

He turned my head to meet his gaze and planted a kiss on me.

Everyone else laughed. My cheeks burned.

"Can't you two keep your hands off of each other for 5 minutes?" Sharpay asked in mock indignation.

I pulled away from Ryan's lips. "Not if we can help it."

Sharpay huffed. Everyone else in the room laughed.

Jesse returned, and went up stairs with Joey to work on homework.

Kelsi and Jason stood up. "Well, I think I'm good to drive, and we should be going.

Jason offered me his hand again. "Sorry in advance for this week."

We shook hands and they left.

* * *

Ryan's parents were spending the night in, so after dinner Ryan and I went up to Joey and Jesse's room.

"Sorry you have to spend the night in here." Ryan said.

Jesse shrugged. "After being locked in here for months, I'm used to it."

"Hey. Sorry about that guys." I said.

"It's okay. If I'd been in your place, I would've just killed us." Joey said.

I laughed. "You know, Jason tried that once."

"What?" Jesse asked.

"Yeah, he thought Troy here was the killer." Ryan said.

"Where did he get that idea?" Joey asked.

"Well, he isn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer." Ryan said.

We all shared a laugh.

"Oh, you guys need to apply to the University tomorrow."

"Huh?" Jesse looked confused.

"But it's Sunday." Joey said.

"You can apply on the website."

"Isn't it too late?" Jesse asked.

"Sharpay's going to pull some strings." Joey said.

"We can't let her do that."

"Do you want to try and stop her?" Joey asked.

Jesse looked scared. "Uh… no."

Joey and Ryan laughed.

I gave Jesse a sympathetic look.

"Okay, sunset is in a fifteen minutes, go change Jesse." Ryan said.

Jesse nodded and took a robe into the bathroom, emerging again after several minutes.

"Now tonight we're going to start working on control. Do you remember everything I told Sharpay the night you two watched her change?"

Jesse nodded. "I think so."

"You two." Ryan pointed at Joey and I. "Sit on the bed and don't talk."

"But maybe I could help him." Joey protested.

"I know you could. But he has to learn how to do this on his own."

I nodded. "He's right. I had to do it too."

Joey huffed, but sat down next to me.

"Now sit down like this." Ryan took a lotus position on the floor.

Jesse struggled to copy him.

"Now close your eyes and relax your body."

Jesse did as he was told.

"Now think about your body. Feel each piece of it. Feel how it is right now."

Jesse nodded.

I felt the tingling begin at the base of my spine. I let if flow for a few moments, enjoying the feeling of my wolf instincts awakening.

Ryan always describes it as a separate presence in his mind, a presence that he has to cajole to do what he wants. It's never seemed like that for me. It's just as much a part of me as my basketball skills or singing talent. Once I realized that, it had become much easier to control.

I felt the pressure start. 'Not now,' I thought to myself, and the pressure faded, the tingling retreated.

I opened my eyes and watched Ryan guide Jesse through the transformation.

Jesse was able to hold out for almost 45 minutes before he started to change.

Ryan guided him through, body part by body part; he started with his hands, and then his legs, followed by his torso. He saved the head for last.

"Does it ever stop looking so creepy?" Joey asked in a whisper.

"Well, you can do it faster, but not really." I said.

"Does it hurt?"

I shook my head. "No. But it's weird, because at first you think it should."

"What if I don't learn to control it?"

"You will. It's like walking; everyone figures it out sooner or later."

"But what if I don't?"

"Then we put you in a kennel three nights a month."

He elbowed me in the side.

Ryan stood up and stretched.

Jesse paced over to a text book on the floor and batted it open with a paw.

"Incredible. He turns into a wolf, and then goes right back to doing homework?" I asked.

Joey shrugged. "Tell me about it."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

I spent Sunday night at home. Mom cooked a big dinner but didn't say much, just asked a few questions about how Joey and Jesse were doing.

"I don't know. Jesse's control is… average I guess."

She nodded.

"And is Joey showing any signs?"

"Yeah, Jesse accidentally threw him into the wall. There was some blood in his hair, but no wound."

She nodded.

It was maddening. My dad was gone, and Mom wouldn't even talk to me. Worse, I couldn't even blame her for it. If what Kelsi had said about mating for life was true, if my mom felt even half of what I felt for Ryan for my dad, I didn't even know how she got up in the morning.

I'd never thought about my parent's relationship before. Never thought that what they felt for each other might be like the love I felt for Ryan. Even now, just a few miles apart, I missed him. I couldn't begin to imaging what she was feeling, I didn't want to.

We watched some Lifetime movie about a woman leaving her abusive husband, and then my Mom went upstairs.

I heard her sobbing in her bedroom when I went upstairs to go to bed soon after.

* * *

After a week spent at Ryan's, it was strange waking up alone, and strange to drive to school alone. I didn't like it.

Now I'm not some sort of super-needy guy who can't stand to be away from his boyfriend for ten minutes, but starting and ending each day with Ryan in my arms is like… well I can't even think of words to describe just how awesome it is.

The crowds parted for me as I walked through door at school and climbed the stairs to my locker. The whispers still followed me. Couldn't they find something else to gossip about?

"East High Slayer Junior." I heard one girl mumble when she thought I was out of earshot.

I spotted Jason and Chad in the halls. Jason turned as soon as he saw me and walked off. Chad flashed me a sad half smile, but turned to follow Jason.

I couldn't blame him, but it still hurt.

Come to think of it, I'd been thinking almost that exact same thing for over a week. There was all of this shit going on in my life, but I couldn't blame anyone for it. I couldn't blame Dad for leaving, he didn't have a choice. I couldn't blame Jason for ignoring me at school; he didn't have a choice either. I couldn't blame my mom for throwing herself into her work and ignoring me. I couldn't blame the kids at school for gossiping about me, because I'd done the same thing.

It was an epiphany of shit. And to make things worse, I felt guilty about feeling sorry for myself, because Jason, and even Mom, had it so much worse.

I passed by the drama club's bulletin board, and noticed that the sign up for auditions had been posted.

Ryan and Sharpay had already signed up, along with a lot of juniors. The only other senior on the list was Joey.

At lunch it was all the three of them could talk about.

"You two really should signup, there are lots of parts." Joey said, pointing at Gabriella and me.

Sharpay frowned.

"Uh. I don't think so. I'm really not a very good actor." Gabriella said.

"Come on. You were great in the winter musical." Ryan said.

Sharpay elbowed him in the side.

I shot her a glare.

"The keyword there is 'musical' Ryan. There's no singing in this." Gabriella said.

"You've done plenty of talking on stage. You'd be perfect." Joey said.

"You should join the stage crew." Sharpay said.

"The stage crew?"

Sharpay nodded. "Oh yeah. There's lots of special effects. I'm sure you'd be perfect for that."

It was almost refreshing to see Sharpay up to her old scheming ways. She'd been so broken up by what happened to Zeke that I'd almost forgotten what she could be like.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Maybe. I'll think about it."

Sharpay smiled.

"What about you, Troy?" Joey asked.

"Come on. This may be your last chance." Ryan added.

I rolled my eyes. "I'll think about it."

"This isn't over." Ryan said with a wink.

I sighed.

* * *

My mom was working that night, again, so I headed right to Ryan's after school. I thought about going home and grabbing some more clothes, but most of my clothes were already at Ryan's I realized.

Kelsi's car was already there when I arrived.

I sighed. I had the distinct feeling that Ryan had called in reinforcements.

I went in. Ryan had given me a key so I didn't even bother to knock.

Jason had come with Kelsi, and we spent the afternoon talking about sports, which caused everyone else in the room to zone out.

Ryan, Sharpay, and Joey were still talking about the upcoming play, and they dragged Kelsi into their conversation.

Jesse sat there, a bewildered look on his face, changing channels on the TV.

"So, Troy, have you decided to audition for the play?" Ryan asked.

I rolled my eyes.

"I don't really think I'm cut out for Shakespeare, Ry."

"Oh. You should. You'd be perfect for Ferdinand." Kelsi chimed in.

"Ferdinand?" I asked.

"The handsome prince who wins the heart of Prospero's daughter." Kelsi said.

"You haven't even read the play, have you?" Sharpay asked.

I shook my head.

"Oh my God. Jesse, check the DVDs, there should be one of the play in there." Sharpay said.

Jesse rolled his eyes, but complied with her orders.

He put the DVD in, and Sharpay snatched the remote from him.

Jason and I tried to continue our prior conversation, but Sharpay refused to allow us to speak.

It wasn't bad. Okay, it was even good. And I had to admit that Ferdinand did seem like the type of roll that was made for me, a handsome and troubled prince who would do anything to be with the woman he loves.

It was the ideal part for the so-called goldenboy of East High. But I wasn't the goldenboy anymore, and for the first time I was happy about that. I was sick of always being the nice guy.

"So, what do you think?" Kelsi asked.

"It was nice."

"Nice? Nice? You did not just call a work by William Shakespeare, 'Nice.'" Sharpay said.

"Tone down the drama, Shar." Ryan said.

Sharpay rolled her eyes, but her mask of rage vanished.

"So. You're going to audition, right?" Kelsi asked.

I smiled. "You know what Kelsi? I just realized that I've never seen you on stage."

Her face went white. "Uh… yeah. I'm not an actor."

"Don't you think you should give it a try? After all, this might be your last chance." I said.

She shook her head. "No. That's okay."

"Come on. I think that if you're going to help them bully me into this, then you should put your money where your mouth is."

"Uh."

"He's right Kels; I bet you'd make a great Ariel." Sharpay added.

Kelsi managed to find a new shade of white to turn. I was impressed.

"Yeah. Then I won't have to worry about getting cast in a part with a girl's name." Ryan said.

My smile widened. "So what do you say Kelsi? I'll try out if you try out? Deal?"

The entire room was now focused on the small werewolf.

She glanced once at Sharpay, and then nodded.

"Fabulous." Sharpay said.

* * *

The rest of the week was pretty much like the week before. I was glad it was the last week before Spring Break; I needed a week away from the constant whispering. The student body snubbed me, and Ryan, and that hurt worse than being snubbed myself. He never once complained though, not that he would. I still wonder what I ever did to deserve a man like him.

We, that is, Ryan, Sharpay, Joey, Kelsi, and I, spent every free period and lunch rehearsing in the garden on the roof, and every afternoon at Ryan's place.

Joey was trying out for Ferdinand, but insisted that he didn't mind if I got the part instead of him. He didn't need to worry. I hadn't told any of them, but if I was going to be forced into this, then there was no way in Hell I was playing yet another goody-two-shoes. I spent almost as much time practicing in secret as I did with the pack.

I was a little disappointed on Friday when the rest of the team didn't show up to support me like they had for the last two plays. I hadn't really expected them to, but it just drove him how far I'd fallen since Dad left.

Jason was there for Kelsi, at least. He gave me a thumbs up when no one else was looking.

Sharpay went first; she was trying out for the role of Miranda, Prospero's daughter. She set a high bar, none of the younger girls who auditioned even came close.

Auditions for Ferdinand were next. Joey did great, and I was glad I'd decided not to oppose him; it wouldn't have even been a contest.

Ryan elbowed me in the side when Mrs. Jewls started calling people for the part of Propsero.

"You said you were going to audition." He whispered.

"I never said what for." I smiled.

"You'd better get on that stage or else you're not having sex for a month."

"No worries, Ryan."

"You know Sharpay used to tell me that."

"Ryan Evans for the role of Propsero." Mrs. Jewls called.

He shot me a parting glare as he walked to the stage.

Ryan's audition was the best yet. If Joey's audition had been awesome then my boyfriend's was… well… better than awesome. I'm sure there's a word for that, but I don't know what it is.

He returned to his seat next to me after. "So what role are you trying out for?"

"You'll see."

"Troy Bolton, if we weren't in public I'd have ways of making you talk."

"Shh… Kelsi's up next."

I don't know what she was so worried about. She was good. I guess years of living as an Oboroten in a world of humans could teach anyone how to act. Well… maybe not Jason.

Kelsi shot me a death glare as she climbed down from the stage and passed us.

"Next, Troy Bolton for the role of Caliban."

I heard Ryan gasp.

I shot him a smile and climbed onto the stage.

Caliban was an easy character for me to identify with. It wasn't hard getting into the mind of a deranged mutant; the whole school had been treating me like one for two weeks.

"Bravo, Troy. That was wonderful." Mrs. Jewls said when I'd finished my third soliloquy.

I gave a bow and returned to my seat.

"Caliban?" He asked.

"I don't want to be typecast." I said with a grin.

"Well, you were great."

There were more auditions after that, there really were a lot of roles to fill.

"Well, is there anyone else who wishes to audition?" Mrs. Jewls asked, looking around the theater.

"No one? Well then, I'll have the cast list posted after school. Thank you to everyone who auditioned."

She took her clip board and exited the auditorium as the bell signaling the end of free period rang.

"No callbacks?" Ryan asked.

"Don't worry. She'd have to be insane not to cast you." I kissed his forehead and he smiled.

* * *

There weren't any real surprises on the cast list, at least not for me. Kelsi was shocked and horrified to find that she'd won the role of Ariel, but no one else was. She'd been the best to try out for it.

Kelsi cast me another death glare as Ryan and I approached the list. We all got the parts we tried out for.

I caught Joey's eye and smiled.

"Why didn't you try out for Ferdinand, you could've beaten me."

I laughed. "Not a chance man, you were awesome. You're the second best actor in the school, right after this wonderful man right here." I embraced Ryan from behind.

Joey laughed.

Ryan blushed.

A group of girls walked by, I overheard one of them talking. "I can't believe he's still dating, Troy. I'd be worried he was going to stab me in my sleep."

"I'm right here you know. We can here you." I shouted at them.

They ran down the hall.

Joey rolled his eyes. "Girls."

"Agreed." Ryan and I said in unison.

"Jinx." Ryan said.

I cuffed the back of Ryan's head.

"Ow. What?"

I glared at him.

"Well I'm not going to say your name now." Ryan said.

I looked at Joey.

He shook his head. "Uh uh, I'm not getting involved."

"Troy!" Gabriella called from down the hallway.

I turned to Ryan. "Ha."

Gabriella came up. "Caliban?"

"Why does everyone keep asking that?" I said.

"Well. You are playing against type." Ryan said.

"I'm not done being mad at you yet." I said.

"For what?" Gabi asked.

"For jinxing me." Ryan and I said in unison.

"Jinx." Ryan added.

"What are you two, five?" She asked.

"And proud of it." Ryan said.

"Well I've got to get to Decathlon practice." Gabriella said and walked away.

I threw my hands up in despair.

My truck was still at Ryan's, so I was forced to ride home in his yellow Mustang.

Sharpay took Joey home; Jesse was going to get a ride from Taylor after practice.

"Still jinxed?" Sharpay asked as we walked in.

I shot her a glare.

She laughed. "You two are just too cute."

Sharpay walked away humming the tune to _You Can't Stop the Beat_ from _Hairspray_.

Mrs. Evans came down the stairs then. "Troy, Ducky, how are you two planning on spending Spring Break?"

I gave Ryan a wicked grin.

"We're probably just going to hang around the house and practice for the spring play."

"Oh, no no no, that simply won't do. It's your last Spring Break as high school students."

"Uh." I said.

"You need to, cut lose, as it were."

"We're fine, Mother, really." Ryan said.

"Ridiculous. I've already spoken with Mrs. Bolton and booked the plane tickets."

"What?" I asked.

"No need to thank me, Troy. Just don't get too drunk while you're in San Diego." With that she whisked passed us and was gone.

"She can't be serious." I said.

"Troy, have you ever known Mother to joke?"

I shook my head.

"Ryan, did you hear?" Sharpay flew down the stairs. "San Diego!"

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Yes, we heard."

"What about Joey and Jesse?" I asked.

"We're going too." Joey said from the living room.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 **

Our flight left the next morning, so I had to go home that night to grab a few things, to my empty house. Most of my clothes were now warring for space in Ryan's closet, a war which his clothes were winning, but I hadn't thought to bring a swimsuit.

Jesse was back from Decathlon practice when I got back, and was far more enthusiastic about the trip than either Ryan or I had been.

"How are we going to avoid the local werewolves?" Joey asked, trying to ignore the fact that Jesse was almost jumping up and won.

"Well, it's only a week, and we're not going to have to worry about a full moon. We should just be able to avoid them." Ryan said.

"So we're just going to hope that they don't find us, or worse, her?" He asked pointing to Sharpay.

"Speaking of which, there may not be a full moon, but isn't next Friday the new moon?" Jesse asked, his bouncing coming to a sudden stop.

"Hey, if you have a better idea, I'm all ears." Ryan said.

Joey sighed, but shook his head in resignation.

"At least you don't smell yet." I said to Joey.

"What?" Joey looked confused.

"Even in human form, the rest of us, kind of smell. It's why I freaked out on Sharpay." Jesse said.

"And how we found Darbus." Ryan added, his eyes growing distant. I took his hand and raised it to my mouth to kiss his knuckles.

Joey rolled his eyes. "Wow. It sure does sound like I have such wonderful things to look forward to."

"It's not that bad." Ryan said, pulling his hand from mine and running it across my cheek.

"Yeah, it's kind of fun once you get used to it." I added.

* * *

A finger poked me in the side. I tried to ignore it. The finger poked me again. I slapped at it.

"Time to get up, lover boy." Ryan said.

"What time is it?" I asked?

"Six-thirty."

"It's a Saturday."

"And we have to get to the airport by eight."

I groaned and opened my eyes, Ryan was already dressed.

"You showered without me?" I asked.

"If we showered together we'd never make it on time. Now get up."

I sighed, but obeyed.

"I'll go start breakfast, be downstairs in fifteen minutes, Troy."

I nodded and stumbled towards the bathroom. I paused at the door and looked back at him. "What if I'm not downstairs in fifteen minutes? Will you have to come up and force me out of the shower?" I asked with a wink.

He rolled his eyes. "No. I'll send Sharpay to do it."

I bolted into the bathroom and took a quick shower, combating the urge to stand in the hot water until I woke up. I threw on some board shorts and a T-shirt and then ran down the stairs.

Jesse was helping Ryan at the stove, Sharpay was sitting at the table applying her makeup, and Joey looked like he'd passed out on it.

"It's too early to be up." I whined.

Sharpay gave me a look. "You get up earlier than this everyday for school."

"But that's not a Saturday."

"You never had early morning practice?" She asked.

"Well, yeah, but this is different."

Sharpay rolled her eyes.

Ryan and Jesse brought us plates. Jesse was whistling some unidentifiable song.

"You're a morning person." I accused him.

He laughed and sat down, digging into the pile of bacon and eggs in front of him. Ryan sat down next to me and began clearing his plate. I followed suit.

* * *

We arrived at the airport at 7:45, and Ryan was still paranoid that we'd be stuck in security and miss our flight.

"Calm down, Ryan. We're not going to miss it." Sharpay said.

"I'll believe that when we're buckled in." Ryan said.

I gave him a hug from behind. "You're cute when you're being neurotic."

"I am not being neurotic." We said in unison.

"Jinx." I said and gave him a wicked smile.

He chased me into the terminal, leaving Joey and Jesse to deal with Sharpay's luggage. We were only going to be gone for a week, but I think she packed a separate bag for each day.

We picked up our tickets at the counter, and ran the usual gamut of questions. Had anyone but us packed our bags? Had anyone but us been alone with our bags? I let Ryan get away with answering their questions.

We made it through airport security without any problems, and found ourselves waiting at the gate with an hour and a half to spare.

"Oh yeah, you really had to wake me up at six-thirty."

Ryan, still jinxed, shot me a glare.

"Fine, Ryan, you can talk again."

"It's about time."

"Hey, you deserved that."

"See if you get lucky tonight."

I gave him my best winning smile. "Now you're just punishing yourself."

He sighed and leaned up against me. "It's a good thing you're so cute, Bolton."

"I know." I kissed the top of his head.

* * *

The flight was uneventful, and somehow the airline managed not to lose any of Sharpay's bags. Ryan rented a minivan with his credit card. It wasn't exactly traveling in style, but there were five of us and Sharpay's luggage, which took up as much space as the rest of us combined.

The first blast of cool sea air when we stepped out of the terminal was exhilarating. It'd been years since my family had gone to the beach. I didn't have much of a chance to enjoy the view though; somehow I got coerced into driving.

The hotel was easy enough to find. The Evans hadn't spared any expense, we were staying at Paradise Point, a five star hotel located on a tiny island in the middle of Mission Bay, it was almost right next door to Sea World, which had Ryan excited.

We checked in and checked out the rooms. We had a three room bungalow right on the beach, such as it was. Not that it was a bad beach, really, but the still waters of the bay didn't give much of a sense of the ocean's grandeur.

The bungalow was awesome though; comfortable furniture, three huge beds, and a view to kill for. We spent a little time exploring the resort, but Sharpay insisted we had to go the real beach.

Ryan and I unpacked our towels and changed into our swim trunks.

* * *

I had no idea where I was going, and neither did anyone else. It took an hour to figure out how to get to the beach and, another fifteen minutes to find a place to park. We weren't the only kids here on Spring Break, in fact I wondered if every kid in the country had come to the beach this weekend.

We found a small area at the far end of the public beach, away from the bulk of the crowd, but still noisy. We laid out our towels, and Joey dragged his boyfriend off into the surf.

Sharpay opted to work on her tan.

"Oh God. I'm going to burn like an albino." Ryan said.

I sat down on my towel and pulled some sunscreen out of the small bag Ryan had brought with him.

"Well, let's see what we can do to prevent that."

He sat down between my legs, and I began working the lotion into his back.

"Okay. Turn around so I can do your front."

He turned, kneeling now in the space between my legs.

I rubbed it first into his face, being careful to get his ears and nose, and then worked my way down his chest. My fingers lingered for a time around his nipples. He let out a soft moan before I proceeded down to his pale but flawless abs, and then to his legs.

He took the bottle from me and winked. "Your turn."

As I had he started with my face, but I had to remind him to get my ears. He worked it down my front, and I turned around giving him access to my back. I noticed some people giving us looks, but no one said anything, and I didn't care. At least here I wasn't known as the son of a murderer, I was just a queer on a beach.

When Ryan was done with the sunscreen we both turned around to face the sea. He leaned into me; I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and smelled his hair.

"I love you, Ry."

"I love you too, Troy."

I placed a small kiss on the base of his neck, tasting mingled lotion and sweat.

"Mmm…" He purred.

I looked up just in time to see Jesse leap onto Joey's back and dunk him beneath the waves. They both emerged sputtering and laughing.

I bought Ryan and me some tacos from a passing cart.

"I'm not sure I want to know what type of animal this was." Ryan said.

I nodded. "Cat, if we're lucky."

Sharpay raised her sunglasses to favor me with one of her better rehearsed glares.

We got some snow cones after that.

"Sea World tomorrow?" Ryan asked after Joey and Jesse had returned from their frolicking.

"If it'll shut you up about it." Sharpay said.

I laughed and stroked the back of his neck. "Anything you want."

Jesse fell asleep on his towel, which Joey took as an invitation to bury his boyfriend in sand.

"What are you, five?" Ryan asked him.

Joey raised an eyebrow. "This coming from Captain Jinx?"

Ryan laughed.

Sharpay stood up and surveyed the crowded beach. "There sure are a lot of primo guys here, and I'm not talking about you four."

"Just remember, Sis, no biting." Ryan said.

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks Ryan, but I'm not an idiot." Sharpay turned on her heel and stalked off, moving like a cat on the prowl.

"I feel sorry for anyone she corners." Joey said.

I smiled and pulled Ryan close. "Just remember, better him than us."

Joey laughed and poured another handful of sand over his sleeping love.

"He's going to kill you when he wakes up." Ryan said.

"You're assuming he'll still be able to move by then." Joey said with a wink.

Ryan and I braved the water only once, and we got into a vicious splash fight. I'm sorry to say that I lost. I'm still not sure how, but for a small guy he was able to make some pretty big waves. We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging on my towel.

Joey completed his project and began tickling Jesse's nose.

Jesse twitched and opened his eyes. "Wha… why can't I move?"

Ryan snickered.

Joey straddled Jesse's sand covered form and bent down, kissing his boyfriend on the lips.

"Joey, people can see us."

"And what are you going to do about it?"

Jesse struggled beneath his prison of sand, a small avalanche rained down one side, but he was trapped. He glared at Joey. "You're an ass, you know that, right?"

"But you love me anyway." Joey smiled and bent down planting another kiss on him. Jesse didn't try to resist.

Jesse laughed when Joey pulled away. "Actually I think I love you because you're an ass."

Joey smiled.

"Now dig me out or you're never having sex again."

Joey laughed and began undoing his hard work.

"We should take surfing lessons." Ryan said.

I turned to look at him. "What?"

"It looks like fun."

I turned to follow his gaze, and spotted a number of surfers catching the last waves before sunset.

"Well, we have all week."

"Monday?"

I wrapped my arms around him. "Whatever you want, Ry."

Jesse tackled Joey as soon as he was able, and the two began rolling around in the sand, their lips pressed against each other.

Ryan and I watched the sunset over the Pacific.

"Let's find Sharpay and get back to the hotel." I said.

Ryan nodded.

Joey and Jesse agreed to search one side of the beach while we searched the other, and then meet up at the car.

We found Sharpay lounging on a towel with an attractive latino man.

"Hey boys. Meet Raul." She said.

Ryan and I looked at each other. He took a deep breath composing himself; I turned my back to them and concealed a snicker.

"We're going back to the hotel, Sis."

"Oh, well I guess it has been a long day. Will you be here again tomorrow, Raul?" She stretched his name as she said it.

He shook his head. "No, I leave tomorrow."

Sharpay sighed. "Pity."

We met up with the other boys at the van, and I spent another hour trying to figure out how to get back.

"Ugh. I wonder how many people have had sex on this bed." Ryan said when we'd returned to our room.

"Want to make it two more?" I asked with a wink.

"Pervert."

"But I'm _your_ pervert."

He laughed.

* * *

I got to sleep in until eight thirty the next morning.

Ryan flung himself on top of me. "Come on. The park opens in an hour and a half."

I opened my eyes, taking in the naked angel that was lying on top of me. "You're not exactly giving me a good reason to get out of bed."

He winked and stood up. "Oh, I've got a good reason for you, but it's in the shower."

He walked towards the bathroom.

I blinked once, and bolted out of the bed to chase after him.

The five of us arrived at Sea World half an hour after it opened. Jesse was the only one of us whose enthusiasm matched Ryan's.

Joey gave me a desperate glance as Jesse drug him off to see the shark exhibit. I only had the chance to give him half of a shrug before Ryan grabbed my hand and jerked me off to see the dolphins.

Sharpay called after us. "Remember; meet here at one for lunch."

Ryan and I arrived right in time to catch the first dolphin show of the day. He was ecstatic.

"What is it with you and dolphins?" I asked as we took the only available seats, ominously located in the splash zone.

"What's not to love about them? They're graceful and playful, and look how cute they are."

"Ah, so you like them because they're just like you?" I nudged him in the side.

He blushed, just before the dolphins came out and sprayed us with water. He looked at me apologetically. I laughed and wrapped my now soaked arm over his drenched shoulders. I hadn't though it was possible, but we were even wetter when we left the show.

"Troy, do you think there are were-dolphins."

I shrugged. "I don't think so. But who knows."

We wandered over to the dolphin tank, and Ryan bought a handful of fish to feed them from a vending machine.

Several sea gulls tried to steal the food from his hand, but he gave them a brief growl and they fled.

He held out his hand, and one of the dolphins swam over and took the fish from it. He smiled and held out another. I wrapped one arm around his waist, and took a fish from his hand with the other, holding it out, to feed another passing dolphin.

Ryan smiled at me again. "Troy, whatever I did to deserve you, it can't have been enough."

* * *

We met Sharpay and the other two boys back at the entrance right after one. Sharpay and Joey both had a glazed look on their faces as we approached.

"And did you know that the great white never gets sick. It's one of the few animals known to be completely immune to cancer." Jesse was saying as we approached.

"Ryan! Save me!" Sharpay said and darted behind her brother.

Jesse blinked. "Huh?"

"It's an amusement park, not a biology class." Joey said.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." Jesse blushed.

"It's okay." Joey placed a kiss on Jesse's forehead. Jesse's blush deepened.

Joey pulled back and looked at Ryan and I. "What happened to you two?"

"Dolphins." Ryan and I said in unison.

"Jinx." We said in unison again.

Sharpay laughed.

"Does that mean neither of them can talk now?" Jesse asked.

"I think so." Joey answered with a laugh.

Ryan and I glared at both of them.

We wandered off to the restaurant near the beer garden. Joey cast some wistful glances at the beer garden, but I remembered my last drinking experience too well to have any interest in alcohol for a few more weeks at least.

"Troy. Buy me a beer."

I looked at Ryan in triumph, then turned to Joey. "I'm not old enough either."

"Use the ID Jason gave you."

I sighed, but ordered a beer. The server looked over my ID for a long time, but served me. Joey took the glass from me as soon as the server was out of sight.

Ryan glared at me.

"Do you want one too… Ryan?" I asked, breaking the jinx on him.

"God no. I don't need a headache."

"So what should we do after lunch?" Sharpay asked.

"Shamu." Jesse said.

Ryan nodded, almost bouncing in his seat.

I looked at Joey. "Do you get the feeling that we're their parents?"

"Yeah. You too, huh?"

Ryan cuffed the back of my head.

Jesse cuffed the back of Joey's head.

"Ow. What?" We said together.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 **

Ryan and I persuaded Joey and Jesse to join us in the splash zone. Sharpay refused and sat several rows behind us, guarding our cell phones and wallets.

Unlike the dolphin show, the trainers didn't lead off by having the whales swim around and splash the crowd. I even began to hope that maybe we wouldn't end up drenched in sea water again. Of course that was when they did have the whales swim around the sides of the enclosure on their sides, slapping huge waves of water over the rim with their flukes as they went.

I closed my eyes just before the tidal wave hit us. Ryan sputtered as water streamed down his face. Joey did his best to shield Jesse, but both boys were now as drenched as Ryan and I. We all laughed as the killer whales took another pass.

After the show was over Sharpay came down to the empty and wet seats around us.

"Well I hope you're happy. You've ruined your clothes." Sharpay said.

Ryan smiled. "It sounds to me like someone needs a hug."

Sharpay's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare."

Ryan leapt over his seat and closed on his sister.

She backed away, horrified. "I'll never speak to you again."

"Promise?" Ryan asked as he caught her in a wet embrace.

Sharpay screamed.

Jesse fell down laughing.

Sharpay slipped from his grasp. "I'm going to disembowel you!"

"You'll have to catch me first." Ryan raced down the stairs and out of the amphitheatre, Sharpay hot on his heels.

"You're not going to help him?" Joey asked as we followed at a safe distance.

I shrugged. "He can take care of himself."

We rounded the corner to find a furious Sharpay standing alone, but only for a moment. Ryan darted from behind a wall and caught her in another soaking hug.

Sharpay screamed again.

A group of children giggled as they passed by.

"Sharpay looks really upset." I said.

"You know what that means, don't you?" Joey asked.

"Group hug!" Jesse shouted and rushed ahead of us to join the twins' battle.

Joey and I followed, and between the four of us we managed to get Sharpay good and wet. After we'd pulled away Sharpay shot a glare at each of us.

"Come Friday night, I am _so_ hunting each of you down and gutting you."

We all laughed again.

I heard Sharpay sigh, and saw her start to crack a smile, but the ice princess caught herself and resumed her imperious glare.

The five of us went from the killer whale show to the much safer, by which I mean drier, sea lion show.

* * *

We stayed at the park through the nightly laser light show, Ryan and Jesse insisted.

We returned to the nearby hotel, and changed out of our destroyed clothes, and then headed for the beach. It only took me half an hour to figure out how to get there this time. What is it with seaside cities and twisty roads?

Our Spring Break was really late in the semester this year, but it looked like we weren't the only ones. The beach was almost as crowded as it had been the day before, loud music echoed out to sea.

"Wow, it's really busy." Ryan said.

I nodded. In truth we'd been hoping things would've died down, we were looking forward to a quiet night beneath the stars.

Sharpay, on the other hand, was ecstatic. "Meet at the car at midnight boys." She said and wandered into the crowds, on the prowl again.

"Uh, Troy?" Ryan asked.

I turned to see him looking down the street towards a Motel 6. "What's up?"

He pointed. "Isn't that your father's Jeep?"

I turned to look where he pointed, I could just barely see a red jeep in the parking lot, with a ball capping its antenna.

I walked towards it, Ryan and the boys following.

I recognized the decoration on the antenna as a basketball as we drew closer. I circled behind it, and recognized the New Mexico plates.

I looked from the Jeep to the nearby buildings.

"Bar." Joey said and pointed at a dingy looking establishment that must've been there a long time to look so cheap and be built on such valuable real-estate.

I nodded and headed towards it.

We entered to find a sea of college kids working hard on getting drunk. The smell of stale beer and smoke greeted us.

"I thought you couldn't smoke inside in California." Jesse said.

"No one's told them that I guess." I said, scanning the crowd, not even sure whether I wanted to find my father.

It would be stupid of him to be driving his own Jeep; he'd probably sold it on the road. No such luck. A leather clad arm closed about my shoulders.

"I told him he was no good at hiding." A familiar voice said from behind me.

I turned my head to see Gabriella's dad standing next to me.

He laughed. "So is the whole junior pack here?"

"Where is he?" I asked.

"Puking in the bathroom, gringo can't hold his tequila."

I disengaged myself from ancient Nagual and turned to find the bathroom.

"We're just here on Spring Break." Ryan said as I walked away.

Meli laughed.

I went into the bathroom. There were hurking sounds coming form the lone stall. I waited for a pair of disgusted looking college kids to leave before speaking.

"Dad?"

"Troy?"

There was the sound of more vomiting, followed by the stall being opened.

"Oh God." My dad said.

He turned to look at me, a queasy yet drunken look on his face.

"Troy. What are you doing here?"

"Spring Break."

"Oh. Is Ryan here? He's a good kid, Troy. You should hold on to him."

"Like you held onto Mom?"

"That's not fair."

"What's not fair is that she spends all her time working now. I've spent maybe three hours with her since you left."

Dad's drunken smile faded.

"It's not like I had a choice, Troy."

"You could've said goodbye."

"I didn't want to make it any harder."

"And finding you shit-faced in a bar is easier?"

He shrugged and went to the sink.

After he was done washing his face, I helped him out of the bathroom and to the table where Ryan, Joey, Jesse, and Gabriella's dad were seated.

After he was seated I took the seat across the table between Ryan and Jesse.

Dad scanned the table, his eyes unfocused. "Jesse. You're alive. That's nice."

I rolled my eyes. Ryan took my hand, squeezing it.

"You need to ditch the Jeep." Joey said.

Meli nodded. "Thank you. I've been telling him that, but he won't listen to me."

Dad sighed.

The Nagual waved a waitress over. "Get my friends and me some shots of Jose, but no more for him." He said pointing at Dad.

She nodded, not even asking to see ID.

"So where are you going?" I asked.

"South." Meli said as our drinks arrived.

"Both of you?" Ryan asked.

"Don't worry, pup. I'll keep him safe."

I nodded. "It's the best place to hide."

Dad nodded.

Meli raised his glass. "To your health, pups."

We raised our own glasses, and drank.

It burned all the way down, even worse than Jason's whiskey, but I refused to cough.

Jesse coughed and sputtered, Joey looked queasy.

Ryan's eyes were watering.

Gabriella's dad snorted. "Gringos."

"For the last time, stop saying that, you aren't even Mexican." Dad said.

"Just because I'm older than the country doesn't mean I can't identify with its people." Meli said.

We did another round of shots. It didn't burn as much this time, and even Jesse managed not to cough. The look on his face was priceless though.

"So how was your first change?" Meli asked, looking at the queasy brainiac.

"Uh… it was fine."

"He looks kind of weird though." Ryan said. "Gabriella thinks he looks kind of like a hyena."

Meli nodded. "I was wondering about that."

A worried look clouded Jesse's features. Joey took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze that didn't seem to have much effect.

"About what?" Joey asked.

Meli shrugged. "Nothing, just old wives' tales."

"You know something." I said.

The Nagual ignored me and looked at Jesse. "Just don't start eating people and we won't have any problems."

"Eating people?" Jesse asked with a horrified look on his face.

"You've got a touch of their blood in you now, pup."

Joey tried to pry more information from him, but Gabriella's dad dodged every question.

"You need more to drink." He said at last.

We did a few more rounds of shots; they got easier as we went. By the end even Jesse wasn't making a face, but he still looked like he needed a few drinks.

"Well pups, I hate to break this up, but we need to get going, have to meet a cat at the border." Meli said, standing up.

Dad had sobered up a bit, and had sat in silence for most of the evening.

Gabriella's dad paid the tab, and we followed them out to the parking lot. Meli took my dad's keys and climbed into the driver's seat of his Jeep. Dad paused at the door and turned to me.

"Give your mother my love." He said.

I nodded.

"Troy, you know I love you right?"

"I know, Dad."

He nodded and climbed into the passenger seat of the Jeep.

I stood in the street watching long after they had vanished from sight. Ryan embraced me from behind, wrapping his arms around my waist. I leaned in to him, feeling a little unsteady on my feet.

"How much did I drink?" I asked.

"A lot." He pulled back, taking my hand in his. "Come on, let's go to the beach."

We walked along the road hand in hand. My eyes drifted from the sidewalk in front of us to the sky. The city lights blotted out most of the stars but a few were shining, twinkling through the despite or because of the pollution.

I sighed as we drew near the beach, and pulled Ryan into a warm embrace. I looked down into his eyes, seeing the stars and streelights reflected in those icy blue orbs. He smiled and I pressed my lips down against his. He nibbled on my lower lip.

We wandered through the partying kids, I purchased some beers as we went, there were signs everywhere prohibiting glass containers on the beach, but no one was enforcing them. The four of us wandered to the end of the beach where we'd spent the day before. I sat at the edge of the surf, letting it wash up and tickle my toes with each wave.

Ryan sat down beside me; I stretched and draped my arm over his shoulders. He snickered.

"Still doesn't look smooth?"

"Nope."

Joey took off his sneakers and socks, and then he rolled up his pants legs. He strode into the surf, Jesse clinging to his back.

"They really are perfect for each other." Ryan said with a sigh.

"Just like you and me." I said and pulled him into a gentle kiss.

* * *

Sharpay was late getting back to the car. It was half passed midnight when she walked up, dragging a muscular dark skinned man, dressed in nothing but board shorts and flip-flops behind her.

"Hi boys. This is Paul."

"You're late." Ryan said, hints of anger and worry in his voice.

"I'm a big girl, Ry. I can take care of myself."

Paul sniffed the night air and made a face. "Wolves." He said with a look of disgust.

I sighed and took a swallow of my third beer. Leave it to Sharpay to not only find another Nagual, but lead him right to us.

Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Bit far north for you, isn't it?" Joey asked.

Sharpay glared at him. "Don't be rude, Joey."

The muscular man ignored her comment and turned to face Joey. "It wouldn't be if it wasn't for your wretched kind." He spat.

"What is it? Is this the Night of the Nagual?" Ryan said. "Three in one evening is getting be a bit much."

"Three?" Sharpay asked.

"You, him, and we ran into Meli in a bar." I said.

"How do you know Meli?" Paul asked.

"He gets around." Ryan said.

"Why would a great Nagual like him, associate with dirt like you?" Paul asked with a sneer.

"Come on, Paul. They aren't that bad." Sharpay said, upset.

Paul gave a bitter laugh, releasing her hand. "I should've known there was something wrong with you, you stink of wet dog."

Sharpay slapped him. "Don't call my brother a dog."

"Whatever, _bitch_." The muscular Nagual stormed off.

"Why are all the straight guys such jerks?" Sharpay screamed.

"Because all the nice ones are afraid of you, Sis." Ryan said.

She favored him with a glare, before breaking into a grin and laughing. "Good, let's keep it that way."

We all joined in.

"Have you been drinking?" I asked her.

"As if. The competition is brutal out there; I need my wits about me if I'm going to land a man."

"Good, you can drive then." I tossed her the keys and she caught them in one hand. I finished off my beer.

"So what'd you guys get up to?" She asked as we climbed into the minivan.

"Troy's dad was with Meli when we bumped into him." Ryan said from the seat in front of me.

Sharpay gasped. "Really?"

"Yeah." I said.

"Are they still in town?"

"Nope, they just left for Mexico." Joey said.

"It figures. That man's harder to pin down then a greased pig."

Ryan blinked.

"Are sure you haven't been drinking, Sharpay?"

"What?" She asked.

"Nevermind." Ryan said, casting a confused look back at me.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 **

We slept until almost noon the next day. After that Ryan and I spent the early afternoon lounging in each other's arms. It felt awesome. There's nothing better than spending your morning in the arms of the one you love. All the problems in my life vanished in his embrace. I wasn't Troy the former golden boy, or Troy the son of the serial killer; I was just Troy, his boyfriend, and that's all I needed to be.

A sharp knock came on our door at one thirty.

"Get up boys, Jesse wants to go to the zoo and I'm not going alone." Sharpay called through the door.

Ryan groaned.

"You'd think a nice hotel like this would have thicker doors." I said.

"It wouldn't help. I think she practices."

We took a quick shower, well as quick as we could. It was hard to keep my hands off of his flawless body. He planted a kiss on my lips, forcing me backwards into the wall of the shower, and then turned the water off.

"Come on, there'll be plenty of time for this after the zoo."

I sighed, but we exited the shower and threw on some comfortable clothes.

None of us had any idea where the zoo was, so we forced Jesse to drive. Ryan and I lounged in the backseat of the minivan, and I rubbed some sunscreen into his face, ears, and neck.

"How did you get so good at that?" He asked.

"The real question is how do I manage to stop doing it." I said with a wink.

We arrived at the San Diego Zoo, and Sharpay paid for our admittance with her dad's credit card.

"We should go to Disneyland tomorrow." Joey said.

"Isn't that far away?" I asked.

"There's bus tours that go up there. I saw a pamphlet in the hotel lobby."

"That sounds fun, minus the bus." Sharpay said.

Ryan gave her another funny look. "You? Want to go to Disneyland?"

She laughed. "What better place for a princess like me?"

Joey and I groaned in unison.

"You two should consider releasing an album of that." Jesse said.

Joey cuffed the back of his head.

"Ow. What?"

"Let's just go look at the hyenas, maybe we'll find your long lost relatives." Joey said, while dancing out of his boyfriend's striking range.

"To bad Jason isn't here, he'd feel right at home with the gorillas." Ryan said and we all laughed.

We passed by the kangaroo exhibit first. Jesse and Ryan paused to try and get a look at them, but they scattered as we approached. Some now disappointed children were leaning against the railing, and one turned to shoot a glare in our direction, somehow knowing that we were responsible. I guessed that we couldn't blame them, the children or the kangaroos. It was the natural reaction of any creature when confronted with a pack of wolves.

We passed by the camels next, they took our presence better, but still sidled away from us.

Ryan sighed. "I don't get it. The dolphins didn't act like this."

"They're the top of their food chain, they don't need to worry much about predators, and I don't think they have a very good sense of smell either." Jesse said.

We reached the hyena exhibit next. They didn't run from us, but I could see them shooting uneasy looks in our direction. I guessed they were deciding whether or not to challenge us for dominance. Ryan and I approached the railing for a better look.

"Wow, they really do look like Jesse." Sharpay said taking a place at my side.

"Yeah, they have the same fur pattern and everything. Why does Jesse look more like them than the rest of us?" Ryan asked.

I shrugged. "Maybe you have a defective bite."

"It worked well enough on you, didn't it?"

I laughed and took his hand in mine. "Yeah, yeah it did."

One of the hyenas seemed to catch a smell. It turned its nose into the wind and took a deep sniff. It bayed, and the other hyenas turned their snouts up, sniffing at the air. Their heads turned in unison, looking at Ryan and I. No, I realized, looking behind us.

I turned to see that Joey and Jesse had approached. I stepped to the side and turned my attention back to the exhibit. Every single hyena had its eyes trained on Jesse; they were watching his every movement. I guessed that he hadn't noticed their strange behavior when he stepped forward to the railing, taking the spot I'd just vacated.

"Uh, Jesse?" Joey asked, stepping up behind his boyfriend, his eyes fixed on the animals.

One by one the hyenas approached the railing, their eyes never leaving Jesse. All but one of them that is. The largest female, the one who'd smelled him first stayed at the back, standing still in what I assumed was a challenging posture. I say assumed because I doubted my inner wolf really knew much about hyena pack dynamics.

The animals clustered near the railing, assuming submissive postures before Jesse. Everyone else at the exhibit was now staring at us.

Joey coughed. "We should get going Jess, lots more to see."

I looked at Jesse; his eyes were fixed on the large one in the rear. His body posture had changed to mimic hers.

She barked a challenge and Jesse's fingers tightened on the railing, his knuckles turned white. I turned my attention from his hands to his face, it seemed higher than it had a moment before, and there was stubble appearing on his once smooth face.

"Uh, Ryan? He's getting hairy." I said.

Ryan turned his attention from the hyena's odd behavior for the first time. He gasped when he saw Jesse. "Sharpay, give us a diversion. Troy, get him away from the railing."

Sharpay sighed but strode off towards the nearby drinking fountain, and tripped when she drove her heel into a crack in concrete, breaking it off. She gave a loud, and somehow I felt well-rehearsed shriek and landed on the sidewalk.

Everyone turned to look at her, everyone but Jesse.

I grabbed the boy's hands and pried them off the railing. I was surprised at the strength with which he was holding on. I shoved him backwards and placed myself between him and the hyenas.

He blinked and his eyes focused on me. For a second I thought he was going to hit me, but Ryan didn't give him a chance. Ryan pinned Jesse's arms to his side, and I advanced, pushing them both further from the exhibit. Jesse shrank as I advanced. I hoped that everyone else was too busy staring at the scene Sharpay was causing to notice.

Jesse blinked again, as though he was trying to clear a night's worth of sleep from his eyes. Joey took Ryan's place, attempting to make it look like he was only embracing his boyfriend, not pinning his arms.

"What happened?" Jesse asked.

"You tell us." Ryan said.

"I… I don't know." Jesse turned his head, and attempted to look past me to the exhibit.

"Oh no you don't." Joey said, circling around him and bringing his lips into a kiss.

I glanced back to see that the hyenas had ended their vigil at the railing, and at least seemed to be behaving like they should. I looked over to where Sharpay had fallen, most of the crowd had dispersed, and she was flirting with the guy that had helped her up, bemoaning the loss of her favorite shoes.

The three of us steered Jesse back towards the camels, and waited for Sharpay there. Joey pushed his boyfriend down onto a bench and took a seat next to him.

"What the Hell was that?" Ryan asked, while leaning into me.

"You're asking me?"

"I think we should go." Joey said.

I nodded in agreement.

"No. Guys, I'm fine." Jesse protested.

Sharpay rejoined us at that point, the heel from her other shoe now broken off to even out her shoes. "Well, I hope you appreciate the things I do for you boys."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "You must have a dozen more back at the hotel."

"Yes. But now I have to walk around the zoo without proper shoes."

"No you don't, Sharpay. We're leaving." Joey announced, standing up as he did so.

"No we aren't." Jesse said.

Joey looked like he was about to argue.

"I don't know what that was. But I'm fine now, and it won't happen again."

Joey threw his hands up in the air. "Fine. But if anything else strange happens, we are _so_ out of here."

Jesse nodded.

We stayed at the Zoo until closing time, and nothing else strange happened. We avoided the wolf exhibit and all the great cats just to make sure.

* * *

We stopped off at a Wendy's drive-thru on the way back to the hotel, and all went to Joey and Jesse's room.

Sharpay called the hotel concierge from their room's phone to book our bus excursion the next day. Ryan and I sat down on the couch in the room, and stared at Jesse, who was sitting on the bed, with Joey near but not quite touching him.

"So…" I said, not having any idea where to start.

"I don't know what happened." Jesse said, blushing.

"You have to have some idea, Jess. You almost changed, in broad daylight, in public." Joey said.

Jesse turned his eyes to study his shoes. "I'm sorry."

"How did he even do that? It's really hard to change during the day, and this close to the new moon I don't think even Ryan could pull it off." I said, and turned to look at my boyfriend for confirmation.

Jesse shrugged. "I don't know. I was just looking at them. It was like I could smell them, inside of me."

"Inside of you?" Joey said with a hint of fear in his voice.

"Like I said, I don't know what happened."

"It has to be that thing's bite." Joey said.

Ryan nodded. "We all heard what Meli said."

I snorted. "That wasn't much, Ry."

"How do you feel now, Jesse. Do you feel like eating anybody?" Ryan asked.

"Oh ha ha. Real funny." Jesse said.

"I'm not trying to be funny." Ryan said.

Joey scooted closer to Jesse and put an arm around his shoulders.

Jesse sighed. "I don't think so. I mean how would I know?"

"Do any of us smell like prey?" I asked.

Jesse sniffed the air and shrugged again. "No." He closed his eyes and squinted, it looked like he was trying to remember something. "Was there someone in the enclosure, with the hyenas?" Jesse asked.

"No." Joey said.

"Oh, I just thought maybe I remembered something."

"You saw someone in there with them?" I asked.

"It was probably nothing, just a reflection or a delusion or something."

"What did they look like?" Ryan asked.

"I didn't get a good look at them, I wasn't really trying to. I think they were wearing something yellow."

The three of us looked at each other and shrugged.

Sharpay hung up the phone and pulled a chair into our little circle. "So let me see if I understand what's going on here. You." She pointed at Jesse. "Were bitten by one of those C.H.U.D. things, then by my brother here." She pointed at Ryan. "And now you're a werewolf slash king of the hyenas?"

"King of the hyenas?" Jesse asked.

"Oh please. I saw how those things were looking at you. It's just too bad you couldn't be the king of something with hands, or at least credit cards."

Ryan swallowed a laugh and started coughing. I patted him on the back, while Sharpay glared at her twin.

"Well, if you're done Ryan, I'm going to bed. I need my beauty sleep." She stood and walked towards the door. "Oh, and we have to be in the parking lot at seven-thirty to catch the bus."

Joey and I groaned.

Jesse and Ryan smiled.

* * *

The next day was awesome. The bus ride was a little long, but it was all worth it once we got to the park. Ryan was terrified of the roller coasters, but I managed to get him onto Space Mountain, and after that he couldn't get enough. We rode every coaster in the park, which isn't really that many, and went on Pirates of the Caribbean and the Indiana Jones ride about a half dozen times each.

Jesse also lured us onto the Jungle Cruise five times. By the fifth time we were beating the boat captains to the punch lines of all their jokes. I convinced Jesse that we should try some other rides, after noticing how Ryan's eyes seemed to gravitate to the well shaped rear of one particular tour guide.

Ryan and Jesse teamed up to try and drag us onto It's a Small World, but that was where Joey and I drew the line. They were able to convince Sharpay to go with them, but it was the only ride they went on without the two of us. We hung out in the toy store that was the ride's exit, watching the trains go by on their endless loop.

"I'm sorry." Joey said as the third train passed.

"For what?"

"For trying to kill you guys."

I laughed.

"You think that's funny?" He asked.

"No… I mean yes… I mean… it's just funny how many times people have had to apologize for trying to kill me. Jason once tried to slit my throat with a silver knife."

"That really happened?"

I nodded. "Oh yeah. If it wasn't for Ryan I wouldn't be here right now."

"You really love him, don't you?"

"More than anything."

Another train went bye, I suspected it was the first train again.

I felt arms close around my waist, and looked over my shoulder to see Ryan standing there. I leaned back into him; he was humming the irritating song from the ride. I groaned.

Sharpay showed herself then, she was mouthing the lyrics.

"It's like a disease." I said and Joey nodded his agreement. Jesse broke into a full verse of the song then, with Ryan chiming in on the chorus.

We headed back passed the castle, and along the Rivers of America towards Thunder Mountain. I noticed a guy with strange hair walking with his friends, it was green and spiky, and it almost looked like grass. I guess the birds thought so too, one tried to land on his head, and all his friends laughed at him. I smirked and we got in line for the roller coaster.

The bus picked us up after the park closed for the day. It was well after midnight by the time Ryan and I found ourselves alone in our room.

"So what do you want to do?" He asked with a smirk; he was still humming that damned song.

I rolled over, turning my naked back to him; I was sleeping only in my boxers. "I swear to God, Ry. If you don't stop humming that I'm never touching you again."

A pillow landed on my head.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 **

The rest of Spring Break sped by. Ryan convinced me to try taking some surfing lessons with him, which I agreed to mostly because I didn't like the idea of Ryan being alone with the attractive instructor. To my horror Ryan was better at it then I was, a lot better. All of his years of dance practice had taught him how to control his balance way better than my years of basketball practice.

If our life was some cheesy fifties movie, then Ryan would've been forced to enter a surfing contest to save the local diner or something. But of course, if this was some cheesy fifties movie, the two of us would never be together.

* * *

Our plane flight back was on Sunday. Saturday was the first day of the new moon and Ryan spent the evening in Sharpay's room coaching her through it.

The next morning we loaded Sharpay's luggage back into the van. I'd forgotten just how much of it there was. Then we were off to the airport. I'd grown at least a little familiar with San Diego's streets, and we made it there two hours early, just like Ryan wanted.

* * *

The Evans picked us up at the airport, and then dropped me off at home. I kissed Ryan goodbye and walked up to my house for the first time in what felt like forever. I unlocked the door and went in. Mom was busy in the kitchen.

"Did you have a good time, honey?"

"Yeah Mom, awesome."

"That's nice."

I left my suitcase in the entry and walked into the kitchen.

"I saw Dad."

She froze, it looked like she was in the middle of cleaning the sink.

"How is he?"

"Drunk."

She sighed.

"Meli took him into Mexico, we ran into them right before they crossed the border."

"It's good that he's not alone." She resumed scrubbing.

"What about you?"

"I have you, and my work."

I stifled a bitter laugh. "Are you working tonight?" I asked.

She nodded

"I miss you, Mom. You haven't been the same since he left."

She paused in her all but incessant cleaning again and looked at me. "I know this hasn't been easy on you, Troy. I'm sorry I haven't been here for you."

"You can't just keep cleaning the house and working every day."

"It's just that… I don't know how to explain this to you. Without your father, work is all I have."

"So I'm nothing?"

She sighed again. "That's not what I meant."

"Isn't it? It's how you've been treating me."

The alarm on her watch went off. "I have to go. We'll talk about this later. Okay?"

"Okay, Mom."

She dropped the sponge in the sink she'd been cleaning and walked past me into the garage. I walked to the sink and picked up the discarded sponge. I finished cleaning the sink and then went to bed. It wasn't even dark out, but there just wasn't anything else to do.

* * *

I pulled into the school parking lot the next morning to find Joey and Jesse climbing out of Ryan's Mustang. It really wasn't designed to hold three, and it reminded me of the clown cars at the circus.

"No Sharpay?" I asked as I drew near them.

Ryan shook his head. "Her hearing is stuck on again."

"Ouch. I'm glad that never happened to us."

He nodded and took my hand. We walked into the school together. The crowds still parted before me, but at least they weren't whispering anymore, at least not within earshot.

"So how's your mother doing?" Ryan asked when we reached his locker.

"I'd have to actually see her to know."

He put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. "It'll get better."

I shrugged.

The four of us shared a table with Gabriella at lunch.

"So how was San Diego?" She asked.

I shrugged, feeling a little guilty that she hadn't been able to come with us.

"Very relaxing." Ryan said.

"I'm happy that you had a good time."

"What about you? How was your Spring Break?" I asked.

"Quiet. I spent the whole time watching soap operas and studying."

"Still grounded?" Joey asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Wow. You're mom can really hold a grudge." Jesse said.

"Well, it's not exactly like all I did was stay out past curfew." Gabriella said.

Ryan shuddered. "If my parents ever found out what we did they'd ship me off to boarding school."

We all laughed.

We had the first rehearsal for the play after school that day; Mrs. Jewls fumed over Sharpay missing the first day. After that I went right over to Ryan's; taking Joey with me, to spare him the cramped confines of Ryan's backseat.

"Thanks for the ride."

"Hey, no problem, man. I know what it's like to be crammed in the back seat of that car."

"What I want to know is why they even bother to give them a backseat."

"I don't know. A skeleton would have a hard time squeezing in back there."

We sat in silence for a little while. I turned the radio up.

"You know, prom is coming up." Joey said over the radio.

I turned the volume down. I didn't know. I'd forgotten about it, and it was now less than a month away.

"Are you and Ryan going?" Joey asked.

"I… uh… haven't asked him yet."

"Yeah. I haven't asked Jesse either."

"Do you think he'd want to go? He's kind of jumpy about the whole being gay in a crowd thing."

"I know, but if he doesn't he's going to end up regretting it for the rest of his life."

I nodded.

"At least you have it easy. You know your boyfriend isn't afraid to be seen in public with you."

"Yeah, I guess I do. But I still need to figure out how to ask him."

"What do you mean? You just walk up to him and ask him."

I shook my head. "You don't understand. This is the prom we're talking about. All the guys here ask their girlfriends out with big elaborate plans, usually some sort of scavenger hunt."

"They didn't do that at my old school."

"Welcome to East High."

"If you do something like that, than I guess I have to too."

"Hey man, no pressure."

"I'm not going to let you out do me, _Teen Wolf_. Jesse deserves a grand spectacle if that's what's expected."

"That almost sounds like a challenge, _Teen Wolf Too_."

"Want to make it interesting?"

"Fine, twenty bucks says I can find a better way to ask Ryan to the prom then you can to ask Jesse."

He held out his hand, and we shook.

"Deal." He said.

* * *

Sharpay was nowhere to be seen when we arrived at Ryan's. He went up stairs to check on her, while we settled onto the couches and turned on the television. Ryan returned a few minutes later and joined me on the loveseat.

"How is she?"

"Fine. She's just avoiding us because she says we sound like a herd of whales."

"Do whales have herds?"

He shook his head. "No."

We spent the last few hours of the afternoon watching some stupid shows on MTV. I didn't pay much attention; I was trying to plan out how to ask Ryan to the prom. Scavenger hunt? No, overdone. Maybe a song and dance number in the middle of rehearsal? Well it'd be easy enough to choose a good song, I could probably even persuade Kelsi to write me something original, but there was no way I'd be able to come up with a dance. Ryan was the choreographic genius, not me. Besides, Joey might dance for Jesse, and I'd look like an idiot in comparison with him. No, dancing was definitely out. But what then?

Ryan nudged me in the side. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing." I lied.

He arched an eyebrow, but turned his attention back to the television and didn't say anything else.

Ryan left right before sunset, going upstairs to try and teach Sharpay some control.

"Do you think she'll get it tonight?" Joey asked.

"If she doesn't it'll be one more thing Gabriella's beaten her at." I said.

"I dare you to tell her that." Joey said.

"I thought you were over trying to get me killed?"

Joey laughed. Jesse rolled his eyes.

An hour later Ryan, and an exhausted looking Sharpay, came down the stairs.

"Ah." Joey said.

I glared at him.

"Whatever bad joke you two were planning on making, I don't want to hear it." Sharpay said before taking a seat on the couch.

Joey and I laughed.

"You two are incorrigible." Jesse said.

"But sexy." Ryan said as he sat down next to me. I leaned close to him and gave him a kiss.

"There is that." Jesse said.

* * *

I spent Tuesday night at Ryan's too, but I still hadn't managed to come up with the brilliant and romantic idea I was looking for. It was ridiculous, Joey was right. I should've just been able to ask him. But I was still enough of a high school student to want to do things the right way.

I only stopped by Ryan's on Wednesday to retrieve my now large pile of dirty clothes, and then I went home to do my laundry. Ryan insisted I could have done it there, but something about that just didn't feel right. As though doing my laundry at his house would sever any ties I had left to my own. Besides, I was hoping that Mom and I would have a chance for that talk she'd promised.

Luck wasn't on my side though; the house was empty when I arrived home. I checked the kitchen, but she hadn't left a note or anything. I considered whether or not to worry, and decided against it. She'd spent every night she could at work, and had no reason to even expect me to be home that night. I sighed and went into the garage with my filthy clothes.

I loaded and started the washing machine, hoping that I hadn't used too much detergent, and headed for the kitchen to make a sandwich. I caught something out of the corner of my eye as I passed the front door; there was a piece of paper lying on the ground. Someone had shoved something under the door.

I bent down and picked it up, expecting a pizza flyer or something. I turned it over and my heart stopped. "I know your secret Troy. If you don't want the rest of the city to know, meet me in the park after sunset."

I opened the front door, but there was no one there. I stepped out onto the front porch and looked up and down the street, but I didn't see anything moving. I looked down at the piece of paper in my hands and un-crumpled it. It was typed, so there wasn't any handwriting to try and recognize. I went inside and smelled the paper; there was nothing distinctive about it.

I pulled out my phone and called Ryan. But he didn't answer. I tried him two more times, and left a message on his voice mail. Then I called Gabriella, she didn't answer either. I called Sharpay, Joey, and Jesse next; none of them answered. I tried Kelsi and then Jason next, followed by Kelsi's parents and then my mom, none of them answered, not that I'd expected Mom to.

I forgot about my laundry and drove over to Ryan's. The house was dark when I arrived. I pulled out my key as I approached the front door, but found it already open.

I paused, but walked in to the dark house. "Hello." I called out. The only answer was my voice echoing back to me from the black depths of the Evans' mansion.

I went upstairs to Ryan's room without turning on any lights; I'd spent enough time there that I didn't need them. His door was locked. I pulled out the other key he'd given me and opened it. He wasn't there, and neither was anyone else. I tried Joey and Jesse's room next, and then Sharpay's. I even tried his parents' room, but no one was home, not even the help.

I was scared now. Very scared. I drove to Gabriella's house next, but found it just as empty, and then I went to Kelsi's and found the same thing. I didn't even bother to try Jason's.

It was almost sunset, so I headed to the park. I didn't want to, but something strange was going on, and the strange note was the only clue I had.

I parked and wandered the dark sidewalks, jumping at every little sound. I didn't know who, or what, I was looking for. But I knew that if they'd hurt Ryan, then I was going to kill them.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 **

I wandered past some kids playing on the swings in the playground, and almost jumped out of my skin when I heard someone on a skateboard come up behind me, but they just went past me towards the half pipe.

I approached the covered picnic area and sat down. I was here; it was after sunset, where the Hell was the person who sent the note?

I looked into the small valley next to the picnic area; there were discarded cardboard boxes at the bottom, left over from a day of kids sliding down the hill. I saw someone moving in the darkness on the hill opposite me. I considered investigating, but decided against leaving the well lit picnic area. I was here, whoever sent the note could find me. I wasn't about to walk into a trap, anymore than I already had, I realized with a bit of fear.

Music started playing. It sounded close by, but I couldn't see the source. I stood up and looked around. I couldn't see anybody.

"When I see your smile, tears roll down my face. I can't replace." Someone sang. I looked around, seeking the unseen singer. I would have recognized the voice sooner if I hadn't been so worried. The singer continued and I started searching. I couldn't pinpoint the source of the music; it seemed to be coming from everywhere.

"I will never let you fall. I'll stand up with you forever." Came the words. I recognized it as _Your Guardian Angel_ by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Ryan once told me how much he loved that song.

"Seasons are changing and waves are crashing, and stars are falling all for us." My brain finally caught up to what my ears had been telling me. It was Ryan singing.

A sudden light caught my attention, and I turned towards the hill opposite the picnic tables. There, written in Christmas lights in twenty foot tall letters was a single word, 'PROM?'

I stepped out towards the glow, spying Joey at the bottom of the hill, now illuminated by the multicolored lights, holding an extension cord.

"Because I am here, for you." Ryan sang, and I heard a soft thud behind me. I turned to see Ryan standing there, clutching a microphone. He'd jumped off the roof, where I could now tell the music was coming from.

All the emotions I'd felt over the last hour and Ryan's beautiful voice overcame me. I couldn't speak.

"I will never let you fall. I'll stand up with you forever. I'll be there for you through it all. Even if saving you sends me to heaven." Ryan finished the song and took the sparkling microphone from his mouth.

I grabbed him and pulled him into a hot embrace. I didn't waste time with any foreplay. My tongue plunged into his mouth and was greeted by his own. I lost myself completely in that kiss.

I pulled away at last. "I thought I'd lost you."

"Never." He said, and pressed his lips again into my own.

I pulled away after another eternity spent against his lips. "That was cruel." I said.

"I'm sorry. Forgive me?"

I sighed. I can't stay angry at him, even when his flare for the dramatic does take him too far. "Always."

"So you haven't answered my question yet."

I laughed. "Of course I'll go to prom with you." I pulled him into another kiss, as hot and passionate as the first.

"Ooh." Sharpay said.

I opened my eyes and noticed that the rest of the pack was there.

"You were all in on it?" I asked.

Kelsi nodded. "Of course, why do you think we didn't answer our phones?"

"I hate each and every one of you, you know that?" I said with a laugh.

"What? Why?" Jason asked.

He had to be joking. I turned and looked at him, but his eyes were filled with sincerity. He was either the greatest actor in the world, or he wasn't joking.

Kelsi snickered. Sharpay snorted. I broke down in laughter, letting the last of the tension I'd felt leave me.

"Can I unplug these yet?" Joey called from the base of the hill.

"Yes." Jesse shouted down to him.

* * *

"Well I guess our bet's off." Joey said the next day during rehearsal.

"Bet?" Ryan asked, looking at me.

"Uh, yeah. I bet him I could find a better way to ask you to prom then he could to ask Jesse." I said while blushing.

Ryan laughed, and then made a face. "What stinks?"

I took a whiff of the air, he was right, something didn't smell very good. It smelled a little like the nest had; it was a mixture of rotting meat and sewage. "You don't think one of those things is here, do you?" I asked in a whisper.

Ryan shrugged and began looking around. Some of the other cast members started making faces, noticing the stench too.

"What is it? Why aren't you rehearsing?" Mrs. Jewls asked from her seat in the auditorium.

"It smells like there's something dead up here." One of the other cast members said, his name was Mac or something.

Mrs. Jewls climbed out of her seat and stalked onto the stage; I was shocked and how well she walked given how old she was. She walked up to the cast member that had answered her and took a deep breath. Her eyes narrowed, and she turned to face the fake tree that we'd made for _Twinkle Town_, and was seeing use again in this show. She walked up to it and took a deep breath, before prodding the interior with her cane. "I should have known. Someone go get the janitor, there's a dead rat in here." She glared at the thing's corpse as though its presence was a personal insult. She spun and stalked back to her seat, I heard her mumbling under her breath, "damn dead rats, always trying to sneak into my class."

The janitor came and cleaned out the tree, taking the rotting thing away in a bucket.

Once the smell had started to fade, Joey sighed. "Well, it's now or never, I guess."

I followed his gaze out towards the all but empty auditorium, spotting Gabriella, Taylor, and Jesse studying in the back row near the lighting booth.

"Good luck." I said.

He nodded and turned to walk towards Kelsi.

"What do you think he's going to do?" Ryan asked.

"The same thing I was planning, but better."

Kelsi nodded and sat down at the piano, I'd been wondering why it was on stage today, it wasn't used at all in _The Tempest_. Joey retrieved one of Ryan's microphones, and Kelsi started playing. I recognized it as the song from the second act of the winter musical; Joey's solo where his character realized he was in love with Ryan's.

Joey fixed his eyes on Jesse and sang it now with far more emotion than he'd ever managed during the production. He and Ryan had horrible chemistry together, something for which I am forever grateful. I guessed that it hadn't helped things that Jesse and I were in the audience for every performance.

Everyone in the auditorium and on stage fell silent. I looked out passed the lights to see Jesse staring at Joey with a fierce blush creeping into his cheeks.

Joey finished the song, his eyes never moving from Jesse's. "Jesse, will you go to the prom with me?"

All eyes turned to Jesse, waiting to see his response. His cheeks looked like tomatoes, but he nodded.

Joey jumped off the stage and ran to his boyfriend, folding him into an embrace. A chorus of oohs and ahhs filled the auditorium, turning into subdued applause when they kissed.

"Well, it looks like you owe me one." Ryan said with a laugh.

"How do you figure?"

"I saved you from losing your bet."

I smiled and pulled him into a kiss of our own.

* * *

The rest of that week and the next passed. With no basketball to interfere we practiced everyday after school. Gabriella caved into Sharpay's pressure and joined the stage crew, so did Jesse. I suspected Gabriella did it just to get out of the house; her mother only let her participate in school activities these days. The pair divided their time between preparing for the Scholastic Decathlon state championship and coming up with ways to generate the necessary special effects. Their first two attempts were a little… smelly for an indoor performance.

It was Friday, the day before the full moon, when both Jesse and Joey's acceptance letters to the University of Albuquerque arrived. Jesse was offered the standard tuition waiver for being in the top five percent of our class. Joey didn't get a scholarship, but Mr. Evans told him not to worry about it. Mrs. Evans told him he was part of the family now, and that as long as he was willing to put in the work they'd see to it that he got an education.

Ryan's parents flew to Atlanta the next morning, his father was working on some sort of real-estate deal, and his mother went just to spend more time with her husband. I'm always amazed that Ryan and Sharpay haven't been screwed up by how often their parents are gone. They lived their life like they were still on their honeymoon, But it was obvious that their parents did love them, and they spent a lot of time with them when they were in town, which meant I now spent a lot of time with them too. It'd been two weeks since Mom had promised we'd have a talk, but I hadn't been home to do more than a few loads of laundry in that time. I spent every night at Ryan's, and she didn't say anything about it the few times I did see her.

Ryan had convinced me to supervise Joey's transformation. He needed to focus on helping Jesse control it, and wouldn't be able to give two inexperienced Oborotni the attention they needed. Right before sunset he took Jesse into his room, and I found myself sitting across from a very nervous Joey.

"So what's it like?" He said with fear obvious in his voice.

"You've asked that before, man."

He blushed. "Yeah. I guess I have."

"A lot."

"So what do I do?"

"Well, for starters, strip."

"What?"

"Hey man, if you want to destroy your clothes…"

"No, okay." He stood up and turned his back to me before unbuttoning his shirt. He looked over his shoulder at me, his cheeks scarlet. "Aren't you going to take off your clothes?"

"I wasn't planning on changing."

"Oh yeah, right."

"If it'll make you feel better I will." I said.

He nodded. "Yeah, that'd be good. I don't want to do it alone."

"Hey, you're not alone. Everyone in this house has been through it."

"Yeah but…"

"It's fine. If it'll make you feel better I don't mind. Unless you're just saying that because you want to see me naked."

Joey jumped and turned around. "What? No!"

"Relax. I'm just kidding." I stood up and pulled my shirt off. I didn't bother to turn around, months as an Oboroten had long before stripped me of any shame over nudity. Not that I'd had that much to begin with really.

I took off my pants, and caught him looking at my crotch. He turned away when he saw I'd noticed. "See something you like?" I asked.

"No… I've just never seen another guy naked before. Other than Jesse."

"Never?"

"Well, on the internet, but not in person."

"Not even in the showers after gym?"

"I never showered after gym, I was always afraid I'd get a hard on."

I laughed, and felt the tingle begin in my spine. "Well, here we go."

"What?" Joey asked, and then a strange look came over his face. "That feels weird."

"It'll get weirder."

"I'm not sure I want to do this."

"You don't really have a choice."

He nodded.

"This is your first change. So don't even try to fight it. Just let it happen." I said as the tingling sensation spread up my own spine.

Joey grunted in reply. His spine was reshaping itself and he fell forward onto his hands. He was fighting it, I could tell. If he hadn't been it would've been over already.

"Joey, watch me. Just let go." I dropped to all fours and opened myself to the tingling. It flashed through me; I didn't even feel the pressure it happened so quickly. My canine instincts woke up, filled with concern for the still struggling pack mate in front of me.

Joey took a deep breath and let it out, his eyes were closed. His transformation accelerated from there. Thick brown hair erupted across his body and his face elongated into a muzzle. Less then a minute later his change was finished.

I strode forward with confidence and sniffed him. His posture showed submission, and I nodded. He sniffed me then, and then turned to sniff the air. The room was filled with Jesse's strange scent, with hints of Ryan and Sharpay's jaguar lingering here and there.

I glanced at the door, realizing it needed someone with hands to work. I closed my eyes for a moment and changed back. I was disappointed that I didn't get to spend more time as a wolf, but right now I wanted thumbs.

Joey watched me change back, his jaws hanging open in awe.

"Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it." I started putting my clothes back on. When I'd put on everything but my shoes and socks I headed towards the door, but paused before opening it. "Sharpay's out there. Are you going to be able to handle that?"

He looked at me confused, like he didn't understand what I was saying. His wolf was in control, great.

"Joey!" I said.

He jumped and blinked. I don't know what it is about saying someone's name, but it always seems to work. "Nod twice if you're in control."

He nodded twice.

"Good. Now are you ready for this? Your wolf isn't going to like the way Sharpay smells. Can you keep it under control?"

He nodded twice more.

"Okay." I opened the door, and he took a step back. Her scent was stronger in the hall I knew from personal experience. A look of determination filled his eyes and he stepped passed me and into the hallway.

I followed him down the stairs to the living room where Sharpay was watching television. A low growl escaped from Joey as we entered the living room.

"Joey!"

He shuddered, but stopped growling.

"I take it he's not quite house broken yet?" Sharpay asked.

"Like you were any better when you first changed?"

"Please. I had to face an entire pack of wolves on my own. He just has to face one incredibly attractive Nagual, and he has most of his pack to back him up."

I sighed and took a seat on the love seat Ryan and I shared most nights.

Joey looked at the television and gave a confused bark.

I looked at what Sharpay was watching. "ESPN?"

Sharpay jumped and fumbled for the remote. "Eww… how did that happen?"

She changed the channel to Lifetime.

"That seems to happen a lot." I said.

Sharpay grunted.

Ryan followed Jesse's hybrid form down the stairs half an hour later. Jesse strode to the wolf lying in the middle of the room and sniffed it. Joey stuck his tongue out at Jesse, prompting one of his boyfriend's unnerving, hyena-like laughs. Ryan sat down next to me and draped his arm over my shoulders.

"Any problems?" He asked.

"Nope. The kid's a natural." I planted a kiss on his cheek.

"You're feeling frisky." Ryan said.

"Want to go upstairs and see just how frisky I can be?"

Ryan laughed and stood up, offering me his hand.

Sharpay sighed and turned up the volume on the television. "Don't you two get any ideas." She said to the wolves on the floor as Ryan and I climbed the stairs to his room.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 **

Jesse got the hang of controlling it Sunday night, putting him a whole day ahead of Sharpay and Gabriella. Something of which I was more than happy to remind Ryan's twin.

"Why, Troy, if you want so desperately to see your intestines, you just have to ask." She said with narrowed eyes. I laughed.

Joey had done well enough for his second night. I'd coached him through delaying the change and letting it pass through each body part, just as Ryan did on a new shifter's second night. The two of us were getting a little too experienced at coaching new pack members through the change. I hoped that we wouldn't have to worry about any more for a long while. Not until Jason and Kelsi had kids if we were lucky.

Kids. I wished there was a way for Ryan and I to have some. Not right away of course, I had college to worry about, and after that maybe the NBA if I was good enough. We'd make good fathers I thought; Dad had certainly been an example of what not to do. I mean, I guess I turned out alright, but I would do things very differently than he had; for one I'd make sure to have more than one thing to tell my kids. I'd lost count of the number of times I'd been told to 'get my head in the game'. What would we do if we adopted a kid though? Would it be right to bite him? Dad had seemed very unhappy that I hadn't turned out to be a werewolf. I still remember how mad he'd been at Ryan when he found out Ryan bit me.

Ryan and I were cuddled together on the love seat, while Joey lay at Jesse's feet. Sharpay was out on a date with one of the other guys from the basketball team. He'd asked her to prom, and she was desperate enough to go with anyone, but she'd already said he wasn't the one. I wondered if anyone would ever measure up to Zeke in her eyes, or mine. She wasn't ready for a relationship yet, that was for sure, Zeke had only been dead three months. It felt like longer.

I snuggled closer to Ryan, placing a kiss on the top of his head. He leaned back against me, and I wrapped my arms around him. We were watching an old science fiction movie from the fifties or something, _Forbidden Planet_. Ryan and Jesse said it was based on the _The Tempest_, so I'd agreed to watch it even though classic science fiction isn't exactly my style. The special effects in the movie were a lot better than I'd expected. But I just couldn't get past the fact that the dashing romantic lead was played by Leslie Nielsen. He was good, but I kept expecting some sort of _Naked Gun_ style antics.

I held Ryan close, and not for the first time wondered what I ever could have done to deserve such a perfect man. He may have beaten me to the punch for prom, and saved me from losing to Joey, there was no way any song I could have done would've held a candle to the performance he did for Jesse, but I was determined to prove just how romantic I could be. I had a plan.

* * *

The prom drew closer with each passing day. Ryan rented a limo for the four of us boys. Sharpay rented her own limo, knowing that her date wouldn't be able to afford one. Gabriella was going with a red headed boy from the Scholastic Decathlon team, and Sharpay offered to share her limo with them, insisting that everyone should arrive in style.

Ryan, Joey, Jesse, and I went to the mall together to get fitted for our tuxedos. It was great not having to worry about matching a girl's dress. Sharpay had gone with her date to his fitting, and by all accounts had vetoed half of what was in the store before he even tried anything on.

"So, do we get matching tuxes or complimentary colors?" Ryan asked me.

I thought about it. "We should match the style, but how about I get blue and you get green?"

He nodded. "Blue really brings out your eyes, and I do look fabulous in green. Tails or no tails?"

I shook my head. "No tails, and you look fabulous in anything."

"Did you just say fabulous?"

"Uh, oops?"

"You're turning gay on me, Bolton."

"Oh no." I said with a wicked grin.

We settled on a pair of classic cut tuxedos with full vests and pocket squares matching the bow ties. I chose a dark, but not quite navy blue for my accessories, and he chose a deep green. I wanted to get the ready-tied bow ties that you clip together at the back of your neck, but he insisted on getting the real things.

"I don't know how to tie a bow tie." I protested.

"Don't worry. I'll be there for you." He said.

Joey and Jesse got matching white tuxedo jackets with black pants. Ryan talked them out of getting cummerbunds and into getting vests like we had. Joey chose a bright red for his accessories, and we couldn't talk Jesse out of getting this horrible yellow color. It didn't look bad, exactly, but even I could tell that it was horrible for his skin tone, it made him look even paler than he was.

The nominees for Prom King and Prom Queen were announced the Monday before the dance. I was shocked to see that I'd been nominated. I'd assumed that everyone hated me. Maybe they just nominated me because they were afraid I'd go on a killing spree if they didn't; or maybe they were setting me up for a re-enactment of the final scene of _Carrie_. I resolved to be on the lookout for buckets of pigs' blood. The homophobic captain of the football team was nominated too, as was Jason. I guessed Jason would be the easy winner with the sympathy vote. Sharpay, Gabriella, Taylor, and the head cheerleader were the nominees for Prom Queen.

"Great. If she doesn't win now she's going to be Hell to live with." Ryan said after examining the list.

I laughed and patted him on the back. "Well she's got my vote." I said.

He smiled at me and leaned in for a brief kiss before going to homeroom.

I went to homeroom myself, wondering if I had a chance at winning. It'd be perfect for my plan, but I couldn't depend on it. Besides, being covered in pigs' blood just wouldn't set the romantic mood I needed.

* * *

After rehearsals I went to Ryan's and gathered all my dirty laundry in trash bags before heading over to my house, if I could even call it that anymore. Besides doing my laundry there, I lived at Ryan's now.

I was shocked to find my mother home when I arrived.

"Oh hi, honey, I wasn't expecting you home tonight."

I snorted.

She sighed and shook her head. "Do you want to talk?"

"We were supposed to talk the week after Spring Break."

"You're right."

I sighed. I tried to imagine what I'd be like if Ryan just had to up and leave one day, and I was left with no idea where he was, no idea if he was alive or dead. I'd be a wreck, I knew it. It wasn't fair of me to take things out on Mom, but I didn't feel like being very fair just then.

"What're you doing home? No sick people in the hospital."

She looked hurt, and I felt bad about saying it, but there was no taking it back.

"I've been a horrible mother since your dad left."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

"I do love you, you know that, right?"

I nodded. "But you love him more."

She sighed again. "I… you wouldn't understand." She said with tears beginning to streak down her face.

I moved to the seat next to her on the couch and sat down. "No. I do."

She just looked at me, more tears following the first.

"This isn't going to work though. You can't do this to yourself."

"We don't have any choice, Troy. We just have to find a way to get through this."

"Have you thought about leaving too? You could find him I bet."

She shook her head. "I can't do that to you. I can't leave you here alone."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "Mom, you left me alone the day he left. Look at us, you're never here and I basically live with Ryan now."

"He's good for you." Was all that she said.

I nodded again. "And Dad is good for you."

"But what would you do without me here?"

"The same thing I've been doing, Mom. Except that I'd know the two of you were together."

"I wouldn't even know where to start."

"San Diego, then head south. Ask around for Meli in Tijuana. I'm guessing he's pretty well known."

"I can't leave you here."

"Mom. Kelsi told me what happens to Oborotni that lose their mate, and it's happening to you. You need to go find him."

"But. I'll miss so much. You're graduation…"

"It's just a day, Mom. Maybe you and Dad can sneak back for my college graduation. I'm not going anywhere."

"You're sure about this?"

I nodded. I was sure. It was the only choice either of us had.

She nodded then. "I'll go to the bank and transfer everything into your name tomorrow."

"What?"

"I'm not going to leave you penniless, Troy."

"You don't need to do that. Ryan's parents will take care of me."

"I'm your mother, Troy. I'll provide for you. Just try not to burn the house down."

I nodded. "Mom, there's something you should know, before you go. At prom…"

* * *

I cut school the next morning to go to the bank with my mom. She signed the house over to me, and transferred all the money from her savings into mine, keeping only what was in her checking account. I was surprised at how much there was, I guess working non-stop overtime at the hospital was working out for her. I'd be able to afford the mortgage and utilities for at least a year.

I helped her finish packing, and gave her a hug before she drove off, out of my life for I didn't know how long. There was a chance that I'd never see her again, I knew that, but she would've died if she'd stayed, I knew that too.

I didn't get to school until lunch. I headed right for our usual table, seeing Ryan, Joey, and Sharpay already seated with their food. Gabriella and Jesse were studying with the rest of the Scholastic Decathlon at a table on the far side of the cafeteria.

"Troy. Where've you been?" Ryan asked as I approached.

I sat down before speaking. "My mom left."

"What?" Sharpay half shrieked.

"She went to find my dad. I made her."

"Troy." Ryan said, taking my hand and squeezing it.

"Hey. It's not all bad. She signed the house over to me."

"It's your house now?" Sharpay asked.

"That's what I said."

"Wow." Was all Joey could think to say.

"Yeah, you can say that again."

Ryan gave my hand another squeeze. "Are you going to be okay?"

I shrugged. "It's not like things are going to be that different. Instead of being at work she's on her way to Mexico. At least she'll be happier."

"So are you coming over tonight?" Joey asked.

I shook my head. "No. I should go home after rehearsal. If I know the police, they'll have some questions about where she went."

"What are you going to say?" Sharpay asked.

"The truth, that she went to look for my dad. She knows to ditch the minivan as soon as she can."

"Do you want some company?" Ryan asked.

"Always." I squeezed his hand.

Sharpay agreed to take Joey and Jesse home, and Ryan followed me home after rehearsal. I wished that I'd been surprised to see the squad car already parked in front of my house when I arrived.

The two cops were standing at my door, shining their flashlights inside.

I parked in the drive way and got out of my truck. Ryan parked in the spot next to me.

"Something I can help you with?" I asked.

"We heard your mom skipped town." Said the shorter one.

I shrugged. "She went to find my dad."

"And how would she know where to look for him?" Asked the taller one.

"Search me."

"You know what kid? That sounds like a good idea." The shorter one held up a warrant.

I groaned. "Fine, go ahead."

"Unlock the door please." Said the taller one.

I moved passed the two officers and unlocked the door. Then I went to stand with Ryan by my truck.

"Are the police always so… charming?"

"Those two are."

"How long are they going to be in there?"

"No idea. But this time I'm going to have to clean up after them."

"Hey, I'll help."

"You don't need to, Ry."

"But I want to."

I leaned in and kissed the tip of his nose. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

"You asked me out." He said, placing his arm over my shoulders.

The two uniformed policemen emerged forty-five minutes later. The shorter one looked at Ryan and me with disgust on his face. "Don't get any ideas about skipping town kid. We'll be watching."

We waited outside until they'd driven off, and went in to find the house in complete disarray.

"Wow." Ryan said.

I nodded. "Yeah."

We walked into the kitchen and found the contents of the refrigerator scattered on the floor.

"Did they really think you'd keep your father's location in the fridge?"

"I don't know. Chad's mom keeps a picture of Michael Crawford in hers."

"Really?"

"That's what Chad said."

We put the food away first, throwing away any containers that had opened or ripped. We moved to the living room next, and then upstairs.

"Hey, we should move your stuff into your parent's bedroom." Ryan said.

"What?"

"I mean. It's your house now right? Shouldn't you have the biggest room?"

"I… uh… okay."

We moved all my parents' clothes and personal things into what had been my room, and all of my stuff into the master bedroom. It felt strange, but it was useless trying to hold onto the past. I was glad Ryan was there with me. The house had seemed empty since Dad had left, and I didn't want to think about what it would be like now that Mom was gone too.

Ryan flung himself onto the king sized bed once we'd finished. "So, should we inaugurate the bed?"

"Ew, my parents had sex on that thing."

He wriggled his eyebrows at me, trying to be suggestive. "Why should they have all the fun?"

I sighed, but allowed him to undress me.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 **

I awoke the next morning in what had been my parent's bed, with my boyfriend's arm draped across my belly. I looked at him, and discovered that as always the covers had become wrapped around him.

His face was beautiful, framed by his short, messy hair. It was cliché, but he looked like an angel. I looked at the clock, six fifteen already. I hated to wake him, but he'd never forgive me if he was late to school. I grabbed the covers and pulled. He rolled to the edge of the bed, but not off of it.

"Wha?"

"Time to get up, Ry."

"Ten more minutes."

"Uh uh. Up, now."

He sighed but obeyed me. I steered him into the shower, which was unfamiliar territory for us both. I'd never used my parents' bathroom before. We managed to keep our hands mostly to ourselves, and then dressed and left for school in Ryan's car without breakfast.

During lunch that day Jason and Kelsi walked up to the table Ryan, Sharpay, Joey and I were sitting at. I blinked a few times, not sure why they were there. I saw Chad cast a confused look in our direction from his seat at the team's table.

"Mind if we sit down?" Jason asked me.

"No man, long time no see." I said.

Jason sat down next to me, with Kelsi at his side.

He leaned in close and attempted to whisper in my ear without looking like he was. "We figured we should make it look like I'm forgiving you."

"Thanks." Was all that I could think to say.

"So, uh, no hard feelings about the Prom King thing?" He asked, speaking in normal tones now.

"Of course not man. Hey, you're a great choice."

He snorted. "No one even knew my name until my parents died. I don't want their sympathy."

"At least you aren't getting the fear vote." I said.

He laughed. "Dude, you haven't heard half the things they're saying about you."

"Good. I don't think I want to."

Kelsi leaned in then. "Some of them are pretty funny. I overheard a group of freshmen saying that if someone says your name three times you'll appear and gut them with a meat hook."

"No shit?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Maybe I should bring one to the prom."

"It'll clash with your tux." Ryan said.

We all shared a laugh.

"So, I heard your mom left." Jason said.

I nodded. "It was for the best. She just hasn't been the same since…" I let it hang there, realizing how awkward I felt confiding my own parental problems in Jason. At least both of my parents were probably still alive.

Kelsi nodded again, and leaned in close to whisper after making sure no one was in earshot. "I don't know what my parents were thinking asking your dad to leave without her."

I shrugged. "It was the only way."

Jason nodded. "I just hope these rumors don't follow us to college. I'm sick of being the boy who lost his parents."

"Well if anyone treats you like that at U of A, just tell them to stop or else East High Slayer Junior is going to gut them."

Jason smirked. "I might have to take you up on that."

After that the table conversation drifted to the Prom. Sharpay wanted all the details of Kelsi's dress, and seemed concerned that Jason's tux might not match it. Then we talked about the upcoming play and then graduation after that.

"It's kind of hard to take it seriously." Ryan said. "We're just moving on to college, and with all of us going to the University of Albuquerque it's going to be just like moving from middle school to high school."

"I kind of like it like that; it makes the whole thing seem a lot less scary." Jason said.

I caught Chad looking in our direction again, just before the end of lunch.

* * *

For the rest of the week Ryan and I divided our nights between his house and mine. On Friday I voted for Sharpay for Prom Queen, to protect Ryan's sanity, and Jason for Prom King, not because I felt sorry for him, but because he was the most deserving of the three of us.

When Saturday arrived we slept in, and went to a water park, just opening for the season, for our pre-prom date. We ran into Gabriella and her date there, the Scholastic Decathlon boy just glared at me, I couldn't tell if it was because I was her ex-boyfriend, or if he blamed me for Martha's death. Sharpay and her date spent the afternoon at the zoo, while Joey and Jesse just went to a movie.

"So, water slides?" I asked.

"I don't know." Ryan said.

"You're not afraid of the slides are you?"

He blushed and looked away.

"Ryan. What are you afraid of?"

"Drowning."

"You can't though."

"Doesn't mean I can't be afraid of it. And what if I get stuck in the pipe?"

"You're too scrawny to get stuck in there. Now come on, we're going. Just like the roller coasters at Disneyland."

He sighed, but followed me to the line winding up the stairs. "I'm not scrawny. I'm lithe."

I turned around as we waited and admired the drying water droplets that still anointed his bare chest. "You're beautiful."

He blushed again.

I made him go first when we reached the top, so that he couldn't chicken out on me. His screams echoed all the way up the tube. I saw him splash into the pool at the bottom and plunged into the dark plastic opening. I splashed into the pool next to the still sputtering Ryan, who turned and dunked me under the water. I surfaced laughing and lunged for him but he'd already covered the distance to the steps.

I dropped Ryan off at his place, and went to pick up some last minute things. I'd run out of antiperspirant that morning, and there was no way I was going to the senior prom smelling like an old gym sock. There were a few other essentials I needed to pick up too, like Ryan's boutonniere.

I arrived back at Ryan's at four, just in time for us to share a quick shower before changing and going out to dinner. He'd selected the most expensive restaurant in town, and refused to let me help him with the check. He wouldn't let Joey help either, even though the two of them were coming with us.

Ryan's parents made sure to be in town for the big night, and the four of us, plus Sharpay and her date, spent almost an hour posing for pictures. They took almost as many of Joey and Jesse as they did of their own children and their dates.

The food at the restaurant was insanely good. I tried to grab the check before Ryan, but he was expecting it and blocked me with one hand while snatching it off the table with the other.

"At least let me look at it." I begged him.

"Nuh uh. I asked you to prom, you're not paying for anything."

I sighed.

* * *

The prom was scheduled to start at eight, but Ryan had insisted no one would show up that early. He directed the limo driver to circle the hotel where it was being held until a more appropriate time. It was almost nine by the time we arrived.

We approached the table, and Ryan handed over our ticket. It was dark inside the room, and through the open doors I saw twinkling Christmas lights attached to the walls and ceiling. This year's theme was Starlight Fairytale.

We walked down the hall to the room where the pictures were being taken, and spent more time posing in front of starry backdrops. We took several couples photos, and did one group shot of the four of us. Ryan bought the deluxe package of photos for all of us.

"You shouldn't spend so much money on us." I said.

"Why not? I have it to spend and this is worth every penny."

I pulled him into a brief kiss, before he pulled away and straightened my bow tie. I glanced at his, making sure it was straight too, before realizing that me checking his wardrobe was like a light bulb checking to see how bright the sun was.

We entered the ballroom, and I looked to the ceiling above the small stage. I was relieved to see no suspicious buckets or even rafters where they could be put. Even an hour after start their still weren't very many people here. Jason and Kelsi were sitting at a table with Chad and Taylor in the corner, but Sharpay and Gabi had yet to arrive. Joey and Jesse sat down at a table; I moved in that direction, but Ryan took my arm and lead me to the almost empty dance floor.

The DJ wasn't very good, and was playing way too many fast songs for my taste. This was supposed to be a romantic evening, not a night at a bad club. After a few dances, only one of which was slow, we grabbed some punch and returned to the table. Sharpay and Gabi had arrived, and were sitting with the boy's when we arrived.

I took an experimental sip of my punch, it didn't taste spiked, yet at least. Gabriella got up and hugged both Ryan and I. Her date shot daggers at me again, you'd think I'd be used to that by now, but coming from my best friend's date it was getting a little old. I glared at him over Gabriella's shoulder. He broke eye contact and looked away.

I helped Ryan off with his jacket and hung it over the back of his chair as I held it out for him. He gave me a wink and sat down. I took off my own coat and hung it on the back of my chair, dancing can really make a guy sweat.

More people arrived, and Sharpay insisted that the eight of us get a group picture taken. Then we had to take another one with Jason and Kelsi, and finally Jason coerced me into one of the entire basketball team, and another of the basketball team with our dates. Things with the team were a bit tense. Posing was the most time I'd spent with Chad in months. But Jason wouldn't let me or them out of it. At least I managed to pay for my copies of the basketball pictures on my own.

Ryan and I got in a few more dances after we returned from the latest round of pictures, and then it was time for the president of the junior class to announce the Prom King and Queen. Everyone took seats at the tables, except for the nominees who had to line up on the stage behind him. I put my tuxedo jacket back on and joined the other nominees.

"First, let's crown your Prom King." The younger boy said, working the microphone like a want to be game show host. Maybe he was; I don't think I'd ever seen him before that night. Student government was about the thing farthest removed from my circle of friends.

He unfolded a piece of paper and consulted it. I tried to get a glance at it, but the fake starlight in the ballroom didn't give me much to read by.

"The second runner up for Prom King is Kyle Donovan." I sighed in relief; at least the homophobic ass didn't win. Then I realized that I was one step closer to winning. More seniors had voted for me than him. "And the first runner up, who will fulfill the Prom King's duties should he somehow break his ankle in the next five minutes is Troy Bolton. That means Jason Cross is your Prom King." There was loud applause and a few cat calls.

I clapped him on the back, he rolled his eyes just enough that only I could see, and then allowed the junior class's president to place the huge plastic crown on his head.

"Now the moment you've all been waiting for, the crowning of the Prom Queen. Which of these lovely ladies have you seniors chosen to rule you until we kick you out at the end of the month?" He again consulted the piece of paper in his hands. "The third runner up is… Taylor McKessie." Taylor smiled and stepped back with a curtsy. "The second runner up for Prom Queen is Gabriella Montez." Gabi smiled, and whispered something in Sharpay's ear before falling back to join Taylor.

I looked out to the crowd and saw Ryan back at our table holding his breath. At least there was no danger of Gabriella beating Sharpay. But as I looked at the way she was standing next to the other remaining contender, I began to think it might have been better if she did. Sharpay was getting used to losing to Gabriella, losing to a known bimbo like the head cheerleader might be worse.

"And East High's Prom Queen for 2008, as voted by the senior class, is…" The DJ played a recorded drum roll. "Sharpay Evans!" I let out another sigh of relief.

Jason turned his back to the tables and faced me. "Break my ankle."

"What?"

"Please. I don't want to dance with Sharpay."

I laughed. "But then I'd have to dance with her, and that's not happening."

"I thought you were my friend."

"Hey man, just because we're friends doesn't mean I'm willing to dance with the mountain lion for you."

He glared at me and turned around mumbling. I gave him a reassuring pat on the back.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 **

Their first dance was next. By tradition the king and queen started it, followed by the rest of the court, which meant I was supposed to dance with the head cheerleader. I passed her to Kyle though, and stood next to Gabriella instead. Jason escorted Sharpay to the floor, and managed to step on her foot before they'd even taken three steps. She was in for a rough dance. Gabriella and I joined in third.

"Poor Sharpay." Gabriella whispered to me.

"Poor Jason." I laughed.

It felt strange dancing with her again. We hadn't danced since the night of the summer talent show at Lava Springs. For a few moments it was like all the months and horrible things since then hadn't happened. But I wouldn't trade the time I'd spent with Ryan for anything, not even for Zeke I realized.

I hadn't won, which meant I'd have to resort to my Plan B for the evening. I still had to stun Ryan with a grand romantic gesture. Gabriella and I split after the first dance; I gave her a kiss on the cheek and she went to find her date. I turned around to find Ryan looking at me, a hint of jealousy in his eyes. I took his hand and pulled him into an embrace.

We danced close, our bodies grinding against one another even to the slow song the DJ was playing. I stared into his eyes, all signs of envy had faded and he met my gaze with ease. I lost myself in his eyes, my love for him washing away all the nervousness I'd felt. I pulled myself away from him when the music faded into something faster; it was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. My eyes never left his.

"Wait here." I said with a wink.

"What are you up to?" He asked.

"You'll see." I left him standing there and headed for Kelsi and Jason.

"Hey guys. I hate to break this up."

"What's up man?" Jason asked.

"You'll see." I turned to Kelsi. "It's time."

She nodded and smiled. She was the only one in the room, and the only person except for Mom, who knew what I was planning. She followed me as I approached the DJ and leaned in close. "Hey man. I need to ask someone something important. Can my friend here and I borrow the mic and your keyboard after this song?"

He shook his head. "Sorry. I'm not supposed to let you kids sneak in anything vulgar."

"It's not vulgar, I swear. Maybe this will help you decide." I extended my hand and slipped the DJ a hundred dollar bill.

He looked at it, his eyes widened and he nodded. "Sure kid." He handed it to me. "The stage is yours after this song. Just don't get me in trouble."

I gave him my winning smile and took the microphone. I reached into my breast pocket; when I found what I was looking for, I pulled it out, clutching my hand around it. The song ended, and I climbed onto the stage. Kelsi took her place behind the keyboard.

I switched the microphone on and tapped it. The tap echoed through the room, all eyes turned to look at me, curious about why the music had stopped. "Uh, excuse me everyone. Sorry to interrupt your dancing, but there's something I need to do. Ryan, this is for you."

Kelsi started playing, the familiar music washed over me. I looked out to the crowd, my eyes found Ryan's and didn't look away. "It's hard to believe that I couldn't see, you were always there beside me…" I sung this song in over a year, and I hadn't rehearsed, but I didn't need to. Kelsi's lyrics were beautiful, and I don't think I could forget them if I wanted to. Ryan drifted closer to the stage as I sang; there was a smile on his face. He passed some couples that had started dancing to my song, but my eyes were only for him.

"So lonely before I finally found what I've been looking for." I finished the song, and there was a smattering of applause. Ryan was right in front of the stage now. I dropped to my knee and held up the tiny object I'd clutched throughout the song, the thing I'd spent two weeks shopping for and another week having engraved, a simple platinum band. "Ryan Jonathon Evans, you make me the happiest man on Earth, and I can't picture my future without you in it. Will you marry me?" I asked into the microphone.

Tears ran down his pristine cheeks, and he nodded. "What does this tell you?" He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a tiny thing that glinted in the light, a platinum band much like the one I'd bought for him. I reached out and took his right hand, sliding the promise ring I'd gotten him off. Then I took his left hand and slipped the platinum band onto it. He leaned forward and pulled me into a kiss. There was a chorus of applause, oohs, and cat calls, but I didn't care what anyone else thought about us. The most important man in the world had just agreed to spend the rest of his life with me.

* * *

Ryan had gotten us a room in the hotel. He'd tried to spring for Joey and Jesse's too, but Joey had insisted that he could at least afford that on his own. I collapsed on the bed, feeling a little tipsy.

"I didn't think the punch was spiked." I said.

"I saw Jason hanging out near the bowl for a while."

"Oh."

Ryan sat down next to me. My eyes wandered over his tuxedo clad body. I wouldn't have thought it was possible, but he looked even sexier than normal. I reached for his bow tie and played with it. He smiled and took my hand, kissing it. Then he slipped his promise ring off my finger and reached into his pocket. He took my other hand, and slipped the ring he'd bought on to my finger.

I sighed. "It's too bad we can't get legally married."

"I know. But there are plenty of churches that will perform the ceremony at least. What does a legal document matter as long as we're together?"

"There's visitation rights and stuff."

"Uh, Troy, we don't need those. Neither of us is ever going to be in a hospital."

"Oh yeah, right." I bobbed my head and the room spun a little. The punch hadn't tasted like alcohol. What had Jason done to it? There was going to be Hell to pay if Principal Matsui ever found out who'd done it.

Ryan smiled and ran his fingers down my shirt, pausing over each stud. "Besides, we can get some contracts drawn up to take care of most of it."

I smiled and ran my hands along his shirt, pausing to unbutton his vest. "What do we do about our names?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do I become Troy Evans, or do you become Ryan Bolton?"

I finished unbuttoning his green vest, and he set to work on my blue one. "We could hyphenate. I hear it's all the rage."

"So like Troy Bolton-Evans and Ryan Evans-Bolton?"

"Hmm… maybe not. I want to have the same last name as you."

I ran my fingers along the side of his face, my fingers finding traces of facial hair to fine for my eyes to see, he closes his eyes and sighed. "I do too." I said.

He opened his eyes and caressed my face. "How about Troy and Ryan Bolton-Evans?"

"Why does your name get to be last?"

"Well if we put your name first we get to be closer to the beginning of the alphabet."

I laughed. "Works for me." I turned my head to the side and caught his fingers in my mouth. I ran my tongue along them, tasting the residue of punch and sweat on them. I sucked on them and winked at him.

"Hoping to get lucky tonight, Mr. Bolton-Evans?" He asked with a laugh.

I drew back from his fingers. "Well, it is prom after all. It's a tradition, Mr. Bolton-Evans."

Ryan laughed and pushed me backwards on to the bed, his lips meeting mine as he landed on top of me. I ran my hands under his coat and stroked the silky fabric of his vest, before moving them down and cupping his perfect butt.

"When should we get married?" Ryan asked, pulling his lips from mine.

I shrugged. "Whenever you want."

"Oh God." Ryan said. "Sharpay's going to want to help plan it."

I smiled at him and pulled myself up to kiss the tip of his nose. "Let her have her fun, she'll make sure you get the wedding you deserve."

Ryan smiled and pressed his lips onto mine again.

**-Cut Sex Scene- **

* * *

We checked out of the hotel the next morning, and Ryan called another limo to take the four of us back to his house. Joey and Jesse went in and upstairs. Ryan and I were about to follow when we heard his father clear his throat from entry to the living room.

"Boys we need to talk."

Mrs. Evans appeared next to him.

Ryan and I looked at each other, and followed them into the living room.

"Sit down." Ryan's mom said.

His parents sat down on the love seat the two of always shared, so we sat instead on the couch opposite it.

"So. We understand that the two of you are engaged." Mr. Evans said.

We nodded.

Ryan's dad sighed. "I want you to understand that this isn't about you being gay, we would tell your sister the same thing."

"And this isn't because we don't approve of you, Troy. We couldn't care for you anymore if you were one of our own children." Mrs. Evans said.

"But you two are still in high school. You're too young to get married."

"But I love him, Father." Ryan said.

Mr. Evans shook his head. "Maybe you do, but maybe you're both still too young to understand what that means."

"Ducky, you have your entire future ahead of you, and you need to be able to focus on that. Getting married, moving out on your own, those are distractions you can't afford to have."

"So what, you want us to break up?" I asked beginning to feel angry.

"No. Nothing that drastic. If what you feel for each other is real we wouldn't want to mess with that. What we want is for you to wait. At least until after you graduate from college." Mr. Evans said.

"That long?" Ryan asked.

"Come on boys. It isn't that bad. You'll still be together, you'll still be engaged. You'll just have some time to focus on your future."

"And, if you two still want to get married after college, we'll pay for the whole thing. We'll even keep your sister away from it if you want." Mrs. Evans said.

I sighed; under normal circumstances they'd be absolutely right. Under normal circumstances we were too young. But the whole werewolf thing made our situation anything but normal circumstances.

"Well. We'll leave you two to talk about it." Ryan's dad said as they stood and left the room.

"What do you think?" I asked.

"I don't want to wait that long."

"Neither do I. But I think they might be right."

"You mean about us not really being in love?"

"No, Ryan. I love you, I know that, and I meant what I said about wanting you to be with me always."

"Then what are they right about?"

"College is going to be hectic, and we don't need the added stress of trying to make it on our own."

He nodded. "Maybe they are."

"Hey man, whatever happens as long as we're together, right?"

He smiled and placed a kiss on my cheek.

"Besides. It's just four more years, four years out of the very long life we'll have together."

"Assuming nothing kills us first." He said with a wink.

I took his hand in mine, and kissed the platinum band I'd given him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 **

The new moon came and went. Ryan supervised Sharpay again, but she managed to keep her inner jaguar under control. It was less than a week until _The Tempest_, and with the exception of Jesse we spent every night in the auditorium practicing.

Ryan had a ridiculous number of lines, but he managed to memorize every single one of them and never once missed a mark during rehearsals. I had my lines down, but still had to get some of Caliban's moves down. I was getting a crash course in gymnastics in order to play the part the way Mrs. Jewls envisioned it. I had to deliver one of my soliloquies while hanging upside down from a tree branch, something she'd seen in a movie once.

As always there were four performances of the show. The crowds were smaller than they were for the musicals, Shakespeare doesn't really pack the house anymore I guess. Ryan's performance was flawless, Sharpay and Joey shared the most awkward stage kiss in the history of theater, and I had one of the best times of my life capering around the stage inciting the other characters to overthrow Ryan's Prospero.

Sharpay, and Ryan technically, threw a wrap party for the cast and stage crew, as always. Gabriella even managed to come, convincing her mother that she wasn't going to spend any time in the sewers. Jason came with Kelsi, which made it the first time the whole pack had been together, apart from school, since the party over a month before.

Despite our many promises, we all drank way more than we should have, and then drank some more when one of the stage crew pointed out that graduation was now less than three weeks away. The cast of The Tempest was huge, and so the party filled the first floor of Ryan's house and spilled into the backyard. Some people were swimming, but I didn't trust myself with as much as I'd had to drink. Ryan and I sat on the ledge of the pool with our pants rolled up, our feet dangling in the cool water.

Joey and Jesse joined us after midnight. Jesse was hanging off of Joey. By the look of his face he was too drunk to stand on his own. Joey helped his boyfriend sit down, and then sat down himself.

"Are all your parties this wild?" Joey asked.

"Pretty much." Ryan said.

"How much longer do you think?" He asked.

I laughed. "How much liquor is left?"

Joey sighed. "A lot. Jason just got three more bottles from his car."

"Where does he get the stuff?"

"Who knows?" I said.

"Oh. Hey, Troy." Jesse said, his eyes focusing on me for a moment before returning to their drunken glaze.

"Hey, Jesse. Having fun?"

"Oh yeah, you know it." He hiccuped then. I'd never seen a drink hiccup before; I thought it was one of those things that only happened in movies.

Ryan and I laughed. Joey rolled his eyes.

"What's so funny?" Jesse slurred.

"Nothing man. Nothing at all. How much have you had?"

"I dunno. A little of everything."

"Everything?" Ryan looked shocked. "There must be thirty different kinds of liquor in there."

Jesse nodded.

"It's a good thing you can't die from alcohol poisoning." I said, looking with concern at the boy.

"He's going to hate life tomorrow." Joey said.

I nodded. "School with a hangover, I don't envy him."

"If anyone even goes. No one here is going to be any shape to get up in six hours." Ryan said, looking at his watch.

Jesse jumped and screamed.

"What is it?" Joey asked.

Jesse raised his finger and pointed to the far end of the pool, his eyes fixed on something.

We all turned our gaze to follow his, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"There's nothing there, man." I said.

"He's watching me." Jesse whispered.

"Who?" Joey asked.

"The man in yellow."

I turned my eyes to the end of the pool again, there was no one there; I would've dismissed it as drunken hallucination, but enough strange things had happened in my life that I didn't dare.

Ryan scanned the end of the pool too, and stood up. "Joey, get him upstairs, and stay with him. Troy, let's take a look."

I stood up and nodded.

Ryan and I split up, each walking around the pool on a different side. The pool lights were on, so there was more than enough light for us to see each other and the empty part of the deck that had terrified Jesse. I sniffed the air as I went, the full moon was too far away for it to do any good, but it was almost an instinct now. We came together again at the spot where Jesse had pointed, there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary.

I walked to the nearest bush, but found nothing lurking behind it. I turned to Ryan and shrugged. "There's no one here."

Ryan nodded. "Didn't he say something about seeing someone in yellow that day with the hyenas?"

I thought back to the strange occurrence at the zoo, and nodded. "Yeah, he did."

"So is he going insane, or can he see something we can't?" Ryan asked, turning to look back at where we'd been sitting when Jesse had his panic attack.

"You're asking me?"

"Wait here. I'm going to get Sharpay, it's still close enough to the new moon maybe she'll be able to pick something up."

I nodded and turned around to look at the bushes again. I checked behind all of them, but found neither a person, nor any sign that someone had been there recently. I stepped to the edge of pool, and faced where we'd been seated. I took a few steps back, trying to position myself at the exact location Jesse had been pointing.

I looked back again to where we'd been seated, but I started to feel dizzy. I thought that maybe I'd had more to drink then I remembered. The pool looked larger than I knew it was; it seemed both longer and wider. A cold breeze caressed my arms, and stirred ripples in the water.

I looked up towards the house, but found that a yellowish mist obscured my view of it. I could no longer see even the other end of the pool. I looked again into the pool; the bottom was no longer visible. Something moved in the water's inky depths. I took a step backwards, but tripped over a rock that hadn't been there a moment before.

I stood up, but I wasn't in the Evans's backyard any longer. I was standing on the shore of a dark lake. On the far shore a strange city stood, its spires only just visible above the mists that now surrounded me. Two bloated moons hung in the sky above the city, in fact through the mist it even looked like one of the moons might be between me and the top of one of the city's towers.

A splash drew my attention back to the water's edge. A wave formed, as though some huge whale was moving just below the surface. I took another step backwards, right before a fleshy mass breached the surface. It looked like the arm of an octopus, except impossibly larger. The scent of rotting flesh assailed my nose and a wave of nausea overcame me. I doubled over to vomit just as the thing lashed out, wrapping around my waist.

I tried to fight against it, but it was too strong. It lifted me into the air. I caught sight again of the twin moons, and my instincts awoke; the familiar tingling erupted through my spine. I clawed the thing that held me, my claws slicing through its putrid flesh. It dropped me into the water, and another tentacle erupted, dragging me under. My claws ripped into it, but it was replaced by another and another. They closed around me, pinning my arms to my sides. I struggled against them, and in my panic opened my mouth and inhaled a lungful of the dark water.

* * *

Lips pressed against my open mouth, filling my lungs with alcohol laced breath. I opened my eyes and coughed, chlorine filled water flooded out of my lungs, burning as it passed through my throat. Ryan pulled back from me, his eyes filled with fear.

I sat up and the world spun around me. I was on the edge of the pool, Ryan, Sharpay, Jason, and Kelsi clustered around me.

"What happened?" I tried to ask, and then coughed up more water. It came out as a strangled bark. I looked down at myself, I was half changed still. I held my hand up in front of my face, it smelled foul, and dark yellow ichor was lodged beneath my claws.

"What happened? We found you passed out at the bottom of the pool." Ryan said, pressing me down onto my back again. "I thought… I thought…" He couldn't finish whatever he'd been about to say.

I turned my head to look into the pool. There was nothing strange about it at all now. The lights illuminated every inch of its ten foot depth, and there was nothing lurking in it. I relaxed, and listened to the sound of wet pops fill my ears as I returned to normal.

"It attacked me." I panted, still gulping for air.

"What attacked you?" Jason asked.

"I don't know… tentacles…"

Jason and Kelsi followed my gaze to the pool, Ryan continued to stare only into my eyes, worry etched on his face. Kelsi stepped up to the edge and looked in. "There's nothing in here, Troy."

I held up my hand, traces of the thick yellow goop still on my finger nails.

"Then what did I hurt?"

She took my hand and examined the substance, making a face as she took a smell. "How did you change? It isn't even the half moon yet."

I shook my head. "Not here."

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.

"I wasn't here. I was… somewhere else. There was a lake, and two moons."

"Two moons?" Kelsi asked, doubt filling her voice.

"Sharpay, kick everyone out who isn't one of us. Find Gabriella and tell her to meet us in Jesse's room." Ryan said.

His sister nodded and strode towards the house.

"Jason, help me with him." Ryan helped me to my feet as he spoke.

Jason placed his arm behind my back, and they helped me into the house. I got some lewd looks as they helped me up the stairs, only then realizing that I was now naked. Oh well, I could just blame having too much to drink, which might even be the truth. If it wasn't for the shit on my hands, I would've believed that I'd hallucinated the entire thing.

Ryan knocked on the door to the green room.

"Come in." Came Joey's voice.

Ryan opened the door, and helped me to the bed where Jesse was laying, unconscious.

Joey took a step backwards when he saw my naked body and the grim look on Ryan's face. "What happened?" Joey asked.

Ryan shrugged. "That's what we need to find out."

Someone knocked on the door, and Jason answered it, opening it just far enough to see who was there. He opened it wider then to allow Gabi into the room.

"We don't know what happened, so don't ask." Ryan said before she could speak. "Troy has something on his hands though. Do you think you can find out what it is?"

Gabriella shrugged, but stepped forward and took my hand. She wrinkled her nose as she sniffed at it. "Ugh, it smells like a rotting hamburger." She paused and took another sniff. "And sulfur."

"Sulfur?" I asked.

She nodded. "Stay here, and don't wash your hands yet. I need to find something to put a sample in." She left the room.

"Okay. Let's try to figure this out." Ryan said. "What do we know?"

"We know Jesse's not a normal werewolf." I said.

Ryan nodded.

"And that he's claimed to see a man dressed in yellow twice now." Joey said.

"And that Troy fought something with yellow blood by the pool." Jason said.

Ryan nodded again.

"What if it's just a coincidence?" Kelsi asked. "Maybe him seeing this man in yellow doesn't have anything to do with what happened to Troy."

I shook my head. "I don't think so. I was standing right where he said the man was standing when it happened."

"What exactly did happen, Troy? All you've told us is something about a tentacle and two moons." Kelsi sat down at Jesse's desk.

I told them everything I remembered.

Gabriella had returned part way through my tale, with Sharpay, and scraped some of the thing's ichor off into a sandwich bag with a spoon.

"Whoa." Was all Jason could say when I'd finished. Everyone else just stared at me, except for Jesse who started snoring. I went into Joey and Jesse's bathroom and washed my hands, I spent a very long time doing it, being certain to get all of it; I didn't want any of it left.

"But what does any of that have to do with hyenas?" Joey asked when I returned.

Ryan shrugged. "I have no idea. Kelsi?"

"I don't know. We need to let my parents know what's going on."

I nodded. "Good idea."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 **

It was after three in the morning, and we had to keep quiet. Ryan and Sharpay's parents were home, and we couldn't let them know that we were still up, even though we'd abandoned any hope of making it into school that day. Kelsi called her parents, waking them, and convinced them that they needed to come over right away.

I went to Ryan's room and put on some new clothes, and then helped Joey escort the sleepy and still drunk Jesse down the stairs. The basement was the quietest place in the house, and the best choice for our meeting.

Jason and Kelsi came in from the backyard as we passed the living room. "There's no sign of your clothes out there. Not even a shoelace." Kelsi said.

I gave a half shrug, and continued into the basement. Kelsi and Jason came down about fifteen minutes later with her parents

"Okay. What's this all about?" Kelsi's mom asked with a yawn.

"Something attacked Troy." Ryan said.

"Something?"

"Tell them." Ryan said, turning to look at me.

I told my story again, starting with Jesse seeing something and ending with waking up being given CPR. Gabriella held up the baggy of goop to corroborate my story, and Kelsi nodded when I told her parents that there was no trace of my clothes. Jesse shivered as I told the story.

After I'd finished the Nielsens just sat there with their mouths hanging open. "That's impossible." Kelsi's mom said at last.

I shrugged. "Yeah. But it happened."

"I've seen the same city." Jesse said.

We all turned to look at him.

"After that thing attacked me, before I woke up. I thought it was just a nightmare."

After another long pause Kelsi's dad looked from Jesse to me, and then to Ryan. "You did the right thing in letting us know about this. But I'm not sure if there's anything we can do about it." Mr. Nielsen said.

"Has anyone been out to the pool since?" Mrs. Nielsen asked.

Jason nodded. "Yeah. I tried standing right where Troy said he did, but nothing happened."

She stood up. "Let's all go out there, together, and see if we can find anything."

We followed Kelsi's parents up the stairs. When we emerged into the backyard the first hints of predawn light were already appearing over the eastern horizon. I showed them the exact spot where I'd stood, and stood their again, staring into the pool. Nothing strange happened.

"Nothing." I said.

Mrs. Nielsen motioned for me to step aside, and took my place. She took a deep breath and sniffed the air. She shrugged and stepped back. "Whatever it was, it seems to be gone now." She turned to look at us. "Gabriella, try to find out what that is." She pointed to the bag. "I'm going to see if I can find any legends about were-hyenas. You'll meet us at our house this afternoon."

We all nodded and they left, with Jason and Kelsi in tow.

The six of us remaining took turns calling the school's answering machine and calling off sick, and then we went inside and to bed at last.

I fell asleep as soon as I closed my eyes, and found myself standing again before the lake. I sniffed the air, finding myself in the now familiar body of a large wolf. The air was foul, but nothing moved below the water's surface.

The cold breeze picked up, blowing this time from the city across the lake. I took a step forward, and the dreamscape spun around me. I stood before a black stone archway, a howl cut through the starry night. I turned to see a snow white wolf approach me, Ryan. He sniffed me, and turned to look through the arch onto the city street beyond. Dark, indistinct shapes drifted along the road. Their gate was unsettling to watch; they didn't move like man, wolf, or anything else I'd ever seen.

I walked down the starlit lane; Ryan sniffed the foul air again and followed me. The figures scattered before us, reminding me of how the other students at school treated me. We reached the end of the street, where it emptied into a square dominated by a fountain that bubbled forth dark water. I turned down another street and continued, drawn by some force I couldn't identify.

Ryan followed me through the dark streets. We reached the heart of the city, the great spire that seemed to reach to the moon. I paused to examine the stones beneath my feet. They were dark gray, but specks of something in them reflected a yellow light that I couldn't see; a yellow light that came from the tower before us.

Another howl split the night, and the shadowy guards before the tower's open entrance scattered. I looked over my shoulder to see two more wolves approaching, accompanied by a white cat; Joey, Gabriella, and Sharpay. The force compelled me to move forward. I turned and padded into the dark hall before us, the rest followed.

They followed me down dark halls built for creatures much larger than men, and up sloping ramps and uneven stairs. I lead the way through the maze of chambers with the skill of one accustomed to all their windings. We entered the highest room of the tower, its walls forming a perfect circle, broken only by the archway, through which we entered. Jesse was already there, lying at the base of a five-pillared seat whimpering in fear. On the seat was a shrouded figure dressed only in yellow tatters, its face lost to the shadows.

The figured made no move at our entrance, except to regard each of us in turn. Joey approached the collapsed figured of his boyfriend and nuzzle his neck. Jesse yelped in fear. I felt the gaze of the thing on the throne fix upon me, and looked up into the darkness that shrouded its face.

"Dvat Mordissian?" It asked with a voice like a razor blade. It cut into my mind, and I recognized it as the voice that had led me here. The room stank of the thing in the lake, and I took a step back. The figure on the throne stood, reaching an impossible height and reached towards me. I backed away further. Joey tried to nudge Jesse, but the half-wolf was unresponsive, still whimpering in terror.

Sharpay growled at the figure as it stepped from the dais. It took a step towards me, and I found my rear haunches pressed against the wall where the doorway had been. There was no way out.

A shaft of light illuminated the figure, and I turned to see a broad red disk rise above the horizon, the wall that should have blocked my view fading in the light of the strange sun. I howled, and the others joined in. Our chorus saluted the dawn, and the nightmare city faded to dust around us. We stood on the top of a hill, surrounded by the summits of irregular mounds.

* * *

My eyes opened, and I stared at the ceiling of Ryan's room. I heard him awaken with a gasp beside me. My hand reached out and took his, squeezing it.

"I just had the weirdest dream." Ryan said.

I knew it hadn't been a dream, not quite, but I had no idea what that meant. "We should check on Jesse." I said, sitting up and feeling my stomach churn as the full force of my hangover hit me.

"Wait? What?"

"I think we had the same dream. Dark stone city, creepy things moving along the streets, a tower and a man in yellow?" I turned in time to see him a nod, a look of shock in his eyes. I released his hand and forced myself to stand. I didn't have time to nurse my hangover right now. I walked to the door in nothing but my boxers, and walked down the hall to the boys' room, Ryan followed me as he had in the dream. I knocked on the door.

"Come in." Joey called through the closed door.

I opened the door to find Jesse still lying on the bed, his eyes open, he was shivering in fear. Joey sat next to him, holding one of Jesse's hands in both of his.

"Bad dream?" Ryan asked.

Joey nodded. "You saw it too?"

I nodded, and sat down at the foot of the bed.

"What does that mean?" Joey asked.

"That he isn't insane." I said looking at Jesse.

"It's the same as what the things said." Gabriella's voice came from the open doorway.

I turned to look at her, and saw Sharpay standing next to her. "What is?"

"Mordissian. It's the same as Motichian, just with a different accent."

I thought back to the horrible night in the nest, the things words did sound similar to the eerie chant the king had been leading. I nodded again, and looked at the bedside clock, it was almost noon.

Ryan followed my gaze. "We have to be at Kelsi's in a few hours. Do you think you'll be able to sneak into school and figure out what that stuff is?" He asked Gabriella.

She nodded. "Yeah. I'll be able to use the lab, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to find out anything in that little time."

Ryan nodded. "Do what you can. Sharpay, go with her, I don't want any of us being alone again until we figure out what the Hell is going on."

Sharpay didn't protest like I thought she would. She just nodded and followed Gabi out of the room.

"He knows me." Jesse said, and the three of us who remained in the room all turned to look at him.

"Did he say anything else before we got there?" I asked.

Jesse nodded, still shaking in fear. Joey stroked his face, trying to calm him.

"He asked me, about you, Troy."

"About me?" I asked.

"What did you tell him?" Ryan asked.

"Nothing, I swear."

"It's okay, man. You're safe now, we're all safe now."

"But for how long?" Jesse asked.

"I don't know." Ryan said.

* * *

We arrived at the Nielsens' at four. Ryan let Joey drive his Mustang, and rode with me in the truck. Gabriella and Sharpay arrived right after we did. Jason and Kelsi were already there. Mr. Nielsen showed us into the living room, explaining that Mrs. Nielsen was waiting for an email from her cousin and would be joining us as soon as she got it.

Jesse was still scared to death. He jumped at every little sound, Joey had his arms wrapped around him, but it didn't seem to assuage his fear. It looked like Jesse was trying not to blink.

Jason cleared his throat and Jesse almost jumped out of his skin. "What's up guys?" Jason asked, noticing how skittish Jesse was.

"Did you guys have any weird dreams last night?" Sharpay asked.

Kelsi shook her head. "No."

"We did." I said.

"And we all had the same one." Ryan finished for me.

"The same dream?" Kelsi asked.

We all nodded, except for Jesse.

"What was it?" Jason asked.

"We should wait until everyone is here. I don't think Jesse can take reliving it too many times." Gabriella said with a sad look at him.

Kelsi nodded and we waited in silence. Mrs. Nielsen came down stairs a few minutes later holding a piece of paper.

"Well, a relative of mine managed to dig up something about were-hyenas." She held up the paper, showing a printed copy of an ancient text. "I'm afraid my Old Church Slavonic is a little rusty."

"Old Church Slavonic?" Ryan asked.

"The first written form of Russian." Kelsi said.

Kelsi's mom put on a pair of reading glasses and sat down, holding the paper up to read. "In the beginning the Bouda, that seems to be the proper name for were-hyenas, guarded the people from the darkness between. Hyena waged war against damnation. The Shepherd descended from the star that follows and moved among them. At his heels the Hyena learned the dark arts and turned them upon her charges. The Serpent turned his back on her, and cursed her to live as a beast. The Shepherd taught Hyena to live as the beasts, and stirred the unnatural hunger within her. The Wolf turned his back on her, and cursed her to never spread. The Shepherd taught her to pass on her curse and the fallen-one warred upon her kin. The Cat turned her back on her, and cursed her to be forever hunted. The Shepherd taught her how to hide, and she moved in the dark… or maybe shrouded places of the earth, and stirred that which must forever slumber. The… I don't know this word, I'm sorry… turned her back on her, and cursed her to forever dread the light. The Shepherd laughed at her and left Hyena in her pain."

She looked from the paper to Jesse. "That's all I could find, the only reference."

"So, uh, what does that mean?" Jason asked.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "It means those things we fought, are the Bouda, or what they've become."

Mrs. Nielsen nodded. "Or so the legend says."

"But I thought Meli said only their king could create more of them? If they're shifters, then shouldn't anyone they bite turn into one?" I asked.

Mrs. Nielsen held up the paper again, and reread a section. "The Wolf turned his back on them, and cursed them to never spread." She lowered the paper and looked at Jesse again. "They were cursed with the inability to spread their taint to others."

"But then how did Jesse end up with mixed blood?" Joey asked.

"First one of them bit him, and then one of us. If I'm reading this correctly, then they were cursed by our kind, and I think that the mix of their blood with ours is what did it."

"Okay. That explains why Jesse is the way he is; but what about last night and this morning?" I asked.

"This morning?" Kelsi's mom focused on me. "What else happened?"

"We all had the same dream, about the city Troy saw last night." Sharpay said.

Mrs. Nielsen looked at us, and we all nodded, even Jesse.

"I want to hear about this dream. But first," she turned to Gabriella, "did you find out anything about the yellow substance?"

Gabi nodded. "I didn't have a chance to check everything, but I've found out some. I checked it under a microscope, and it's definitely biological there were some strange cells in it. I checked for the sulfur smell too, and it contains a lot of sulfathiazole, which is used as an antimicrobial drug. But I have no idea what that means."

Mrs. Nielsen shook her head and looked back to me. "Now about this dream?"

I recounted my own experience. Sharpay, Gabriella, and Joey had arrived in the dreamscape together as Ryan and I had, and Sharpay described how they found themselves walking through a forest with strange trees before they found the city, and later Ryan and me. All eyes turned to Jesse then. Joey took both of his hands and squeezed them.

"It's okay, you're safe here, just tell them all what happened."

Jesse shivered as he opened his mouth to speak, then took a deep breath and began. "I fell asleep, and then it was like I woke up again, but I was shifted. I felt something watching me, and looked up. I was in the throne room, and he was standing over me. He bent down and patted my head, but it was disgusting, I could feel things moving through my hair as he touched me, wet boneless things." He shuddered again at the memory. "I tried to find a way out, but there wasn't any exit. I was trapped in that room with him. He sat down, and his voice cut into me. 'Little lost lamb,' he said, 'fear not, you will find your place within the fold.' It felt like I was being sliced open with each word. 'Tell me of the Oboroten.' I could tell he meant Troy; it was like I could see what had happened on the lake shore as he spoke. He showed me gold, jewels, and beautiful men. He showed me beautiful men roasting over a fire. I think he was trying to bribe me, but there's nothing I could want from him, except for him to leave me the fuck alone. He threatened me then, he spoke for a long time, and each word cut into me, I looked down and they actually were cutting me too. Each word he said dug a long bloody gash, but I regenerated them as fast as he spoke. Finally he stopped, and not long after that everyone else showed up."

Joey embraced Jesse through his story, and gave him what was intended to be a reassuring kiss on the cheek when he'd finished it.

"I don't suppose there's any chance that him calling Jesse a lamb, and that book calling the thing that corrupted the Bouda, The Shepherd, is just a coincidence?" Sharpay asked.

"There's no way we're that lucky." Ryan said.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 **

"So why did he want to know about me?" I asked.

"Maybe because you hurt the thing in the lake?" Gabriella said.

"Or maybe because he hopes to use the two of you to corrupt us the way he did the Bouda." Mr. Nielsen said, breaking his long silence.

"But why me?" I asked.

Kelsi's parents both shrugged.

"Okay, fine, so now that we think we know what's going on, what do we do about it?" I asked.

This time everyone shrugged.

"Well that's encouraging."

"I can think of two places that might have some answers." Gabriella said.

"Where?" Mrs. Nielsen asked.

"The place where they were bound, and the ruins in their nest."

"No, that's too dangerous." Kelsi's dad said, shaking his head.

"It is, but she's right." Sharpay said. "I saw drawings down there, and murals. Maybe they can tell us something."

"I don't want to go back down there." Jesse said.

"We don't have a choice." Mrs. Nielsen said. "I don't think it's safe for any of us alone until we know more about what's going on."

Joey nodded. "She's right, Jess. We have to do this."

Jesse closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then ripped his eyes open and looked around the room in fear. He calmed after a moment, and Joey held him closer. "Okay."

Kelsi's mom turned to look at Gabriella. "Go get any of those explosives you have left. I don't think there will be many left down there, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. Sharpay, go with her." Sharpay rolled her eyes but nodded, rising with Gabriella and following her outside. "The rest of you go downstairs and get some weapons, we'll meet on the street above the main entrance at sunset."

As we gathered the weapons, each of us gravitating towards our former choices, Jason looked the most worried of us all. The last time we'd gone down into that pit he'd lost both his parents, and now his eyes never left Kelsi for even a moment. Ryan handed me Gabi's dagger, and took Sharpay's knife, slipping it into the back of his pants. I embraced him from behind, and kissed his neck.

He turned in my embrace and faced me. "Don't worry, Troy. I'm not going anywhere." He leaned in and we kissed, I could feel a shiver of fear run down his spine as we did.

Joey and Jesse chose weapons from the rack that had originated in Jason's basement. Jesse chose a sword almost as tall as he was; he looked calmer than I'd seen him all day as he held it up before him. Joey took a saber like Ryan's.

* * *

We left the Nielsen's as we'd arrived, in pairs, and drove around the city for a while, so that we wouldn't all be seen leaving the same house immediately before doing something stupid again. Sunset found us gathered on the street where we'd entered the nest what felt like a lifetime ago.

Gabriella and Sharpay arrived fifteen minutes late with her now familiar backpack. "I'm going to be grounded forever after this." She said with a rueful smile.

"What'd you tell your mom?" Kelsi asked.

"Nothing. But not for lack of her asking questions."

Sharpay nodded. "Let's just hope she doesn't ship you off to a Catholic school."

We all laughed, even Kelsi's parents. We laughed longer than we should have, it wasn't that funny, but we laughed to keep the fear away. There was no telling what was still down there, no telling if we'd all survive, and we didn't even know if there was anything down there worth the risk we were taking.

Mrs. Nielsen looked up and down the street, and then she and her husband levered the manhole open. Jason dropped down first, not bothering with the ladder; Kelsi followed him into the stinking entrance. I handed Gabriella her blade, and then followed the first two down. Kelsi's dad pulled the manhole shut when we were all in the sewers and then landed in the muck behind us.

Jason handed out glow sticks, and we all lit them before proceeding into the darkness. The entrance was unguarded when we reached it, but the stench of rotting flesh still drifted out of the silent tunnel before us. Sharpay stepped forward to lead the way, Ryan and I had been too consumed with bestial fury on our previous trip to have paid much attention to the path we took, and Gabriella had to tend to her explosives in case they were needed. As Sharpay passed me I saw that it was still close enough to the new moon for her to change her eyes, in the dim light of the glow sticks I wished that my vision was half as good as hers had to be.

"Where'd all their bodies go?" Jason asked.

"I think they eat their dead." Mr. Nielsen answered.

We soon passed out of the passage the things had excavated; reaching the point where it joined with a natural cave system. Without the constant battle to distract me, I was struck by how immense the caverns were. We moved slowly, attempting to examine every inch of the walls as we went, not knowing where we might find a clue. There were crude sketches drawn on some of the surfaces we passed; Gabriella paused at each one with her digital camera to take a picture.

We found a large drawing of one of the things, painted in brown. Sharpay leaned close it and sniffed. "Blood." She said.

Gabriella nodded and took a picture of it.

Looking at the image, I could see that we'd been wrong to describe them as doglike; the posture of the thing on the wall was a lot like that of the hyenas we'd seen at the zoo.

Their crude and bloody drawings were replaced by older and more ornate work. There were strange symbols accompanying some of the art now, they looked like a cross between words and the thing in the lake. We reached one wall which was covered in a vast mural; it showed purple hyena-like things kneeling before a black snake-thing. Sharpay avoided looking at it, and Gabriella took a picture before approaching it and cleaning off some dust that had obscured the writing below it. She took more pictures then, trying to capture every detail.

We waited while Gabriella switched out her memory card, and then Sharpay led us deeper into the nest. We hadn't seen any signs that the things were still down here, but I drew my sword and advanced with it before me. The strange writing seemed to weigh on my mind, as though I could almost understand it.

Sharpay froze as we drew near the room where we'd found the king, holding up her hand for us to stop.

"What is it?" Mrs. Nielsen asked in a whisper.

"I hear a fire."

"A fire?" I asked in a whisper.

She nodded, and then continued forward. Everyone else drew their weapons now too. Like the rest of the nest there were no bodies left in the king's chamber, but the blood stained ground revealed the battle we'd fought here. A single brazier sat in the middle of the room, flames crackling within and shedding a faint light into the recesses of the cavern.

We spread out in pairs as we entered; looking for any signs of what was tending the fire, but found nothing. Other braziers were strewn about the room where we'd left them. At last Sharpay approached the one in the middle of the room.

She sniffed at the air. "It smells fresh. One of them has been here."

I nodded and turned to look at the other passages leading out of the chamber. There were five besides the one we'd entered through, and the one high up the wall that no longer went anywhere after our last visit.

Sharpay approached one of the caverns and sniffed, then moved to the next. When she'd completed all three she pointed to the one furthest to the left of where we'd entered. "It's that way."

We followed her again into the darkness, the tunnel descended just after we entered, winding further down into the endless night beneath the city.

"How deep do these caves go?" I asked.

Gabriella shrugged. "Who knows?"

"It'd be easy to get lost down here forever." Jesse said.

"Sharpay will be able to find her way out, don't worry about that." Joey said.

The passageway forked, and Sharpay took the left hand path without even pausing to smell the air. We passed more drawings, but nothing that we hadn't already seen. Gabriella still took the time to take a picture of each. The tunnel opened into a larger chamber dominated by a large pit. There was no other way out of the room. Sharpay took a deep breath and approached the pit's edge, looking down. Jason joined her at edge, and pulled out another glow stick. He cracked it and shook it up, then dropped it into the darkness. We didn't hear it hit.

"Long way down." He said.

Gabriella stepped forward then and moved around the pit to the far side. Ryan and I followed her. She knelt down and pointed at something leaning against the wall. It looked like the king's silver mask. She took a snapshot of it, the flash illuminated faint writing on the wall above it. I held my glow stick up, and looked at it. It was in the same disturbing script as the rest had been, but was very faded, which is why we hadn't noticed it before she took the picture. I followed it around the edge of the room, it covered every wall.

Gabriella captured as much of it as she could, but she had to stand close for it to be at all legible, and she'd only brought two memory cards for her camera. She was forced to give up before she'd gotten even half of it.

"This would be more useful if we knew anyone who could read this." Sharpay said.

Gabriella nodded.

"We need to think of something else. We've been down here for hours already, and we're no closer to find anything to help Jesse. There's too much ground to cover, we could wander around down here for weeks and still not find anything, if there's even anything down here." Ryan said.

"We can't just give up." Jason said.

"What if we can capture the thing? Maybe it can read this stuff." I said.

"If it can even speak English." Ryan said.

"Hey, at least it's a definite goal, and a pack of wolves should be able to chase down one hyena."

"Sharpay, lead the way." Mrs. Nielsen said.

We went back up the passage we'd come down, and Sharpay turned at the fork and we followed her further into the depths. We reached another junction, and Sharpay paused pacing a little way down each passage sniffing the air.

"This one leads back to the king's chamber. I think we'll find the thing this way." She set off again, and we followed. It was strange letting Sharpay lead us around, it was amazing how much she'd changed since she'd lost Zeke. She froze, and lost in thought I bumped into her back. " Troy." She whispered with agitation evident in her voice. What is it about the more things change the more they stay the same?

The others all managed to stop without incident. Sharpay pointed down the passage in front of us. I turned my head to face my ear down the tunnel, and over our breathing I heard a distant snuffling sound. We readied our weapons and continued on. The passage widened a little, and the snuffling sound was louder. It was soon replaced by a crunching sound as we neared a bend in the cavern, flickering light came around from around it.

Sharpay concealed her light and approached it with a stealth I never would've expected from someone who'd spent so much of her life trying to be noticed. She looked around the corner and stepped back, turning to face us. She held up one finger, and pointed around it. We nodded, and Jason led the charge. The thing was crouching low, gnawing on what looked like a leg.

It was over in an instant. Jason struck the base of its skull with the pommel of his weapon and it crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"Well, that seemed too easy." Gabriella said.

"So help me if you jinx us, I'm never talking to you again." Ryan said.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 **

Jason and I used our belts to tie the thing up, and then carried it back to the king's room. The naked thing was still breathing as we set it on the ground near the fire. Everyone else gathered around it.

"So now what?" Sharpay asked.

"We hope it speaks English." Gabriella said.

"How hard did you hit it?" Kelsi asked.

Jason shrugged. "Not too hard, I think."

As if in answer to our conversation the bound creature stirred. It groaned and then struggled against the belts that held its arms and legs in place. It stopped struggling and opened its eyes, I noticed that they were bloodshot, and the irises were a putrid green color. It looked around, focusing on each of us in turn, but made no other move.

"Do you speak English?" Sharpay asked, speaking slowly and enunciating each word.

It gibbered something.

"Well that's a no." Ryan said.

"Can you understand us?" Gabriella asked.

It gibbered something else.

"What do you mean maybe?" Jesse asked. We all turned to look at him. He noticed our attention and took a step back. "What?"

"You can understand it?" I asked.

"Yeah, can't you?" Jesse asked.

I shook my head, and watched as his eyes widened.

"Great, I speak corpse-eater."

The thing gibbered again.

"Shut up." Jesse told it.

It fell silent but flashed him a hyena-like grin.

"How many others are still here?" Kelsi's mom asked.

It gibbered, and we looked to Jesse for translation.

He sighed. "It said 'define here.'"

"In this nest." Mrs. Nielsen said glaring at it.

It gibbered again and Jesse translated. "Just me."

Gabriella pulled out her camera, and showed a picture of the writing to the thing. "Can you read this?"

"Some." Jesse said for it.

"What does it say?" Ryan asked.

"History."

"Does it mention The Shepherd." I asked.

The creature's eyes widened, and it barked in fear, then gibbered.

"Wait, slow down. I didn't catch all of that." Jesse said.

It repeated what it had said more slowly.

"Do not speak of the betrayer, it draws its attention."

"Too late for that, he's already interested in us." I said.

It spoke again, the flames in the brazier guttering as it did.

"Motichian protect me."

"Who is Motichian?" Sharpay asked, and the flames flickered again.

The creature smiled again and gibbered.

"The protector."

"Well he's not doing a very good job." Jason said.

It barked at him.

Jesse rolled his eyes. "I'm not translating that."

Jason kicked it, and it laughed. The sound was disturbing half way between the laugh of a hyena and the braying of a donkey. Kelsi shuddered.

"How do we get the betrayer to leave us alone?" I asked.

"Give yourself to Motichian."

"Uh yeah, that's not an option."

"Then suffer."

"This isn't getting us anywhere. Let's just kill it and leave." Kelsi said.

Its eyes widened again, and it gibbered.

"No, wait. There might be a way."

"Well?" I asked.

The creature gave me a toothy grin before gibbering.

"What's it worth to you?"

"How about your life." Sharpay said.

"If you kill me, how will you escape the betrayer?"

Mrs. Nielsen stepped forward, her eyes narrowed at the disgusting creature before us. "What do you want?"

"I heard the priests talking. There was a tablet in the ruins where they were bound, but the scholars took it. Bring it to me, and I will tell you what you want to know."

"What makes you think we would even know where to start looking for it, or that we could get our hands on it?" Mr. Nielsen asked.

"You'll find a way."

"We don't have that much time. We're afraid to even fall asleep. Help us now and then we'll bring you your tablet."

The thing laughed again.

"Do not fear. The follower sets tonight, you need not fear the stars until it rises in the night sky again. You will have enough time to find it."

"How much time?" Jesse asked.

"Six months, give or take."

"You weren't bound in the ruins with them?" Ryan asked.

The thing shook its head.

"Then where did you come from?" Ryan asked.

"My secrets are not part of our deal."

"Fine. But if you try to double cross us, you'll take a long time to die." Mrs. Nielsen said.

The thing laughed again, and flexed its muscles, snapping the belts we'd thought restraining it, but making no other move.

"And if you double cross me, you'll wish for death."

* * *

We left the thing by the firelight, and climbed out of the depths, returning to our cars. Dawn's light was breaking the horizon when we emerged from the sewers.

We didn't bother going back to Kelsi's. Gabriella came back to the Evans's with us. We ignored the questioning looks of Ryan and Sharpay's parents and went to our rooms, Gabi taking the guest room she'd spent many other nights in. I dreaded the idea of falling asleep, no matter what the thing in the caves had said, but I'd been up for almost twenty four hours, and feeling a little safer in Ryan's arms I fell into a dreamless sleep.

It was afternoon when I woke up. I disentangled myself from Ryan's arms, trying my best not to wake him. I looked at his bedside clock, and realized that we didn't even think to call off from school. I considered calling in then, but decided it wasn't worth it. I'd already been accepted to college, and one ditch wouldn't keep me from graduating.

I took a quick shower to rinse the stench of the sewers and caverns from my hair, and went downstairs. It looked like I was the first one up.

Mr. Evans was reading a newspaper when I entered the living room. "Sit down, Troy." He said, folding the paper and setting it aside.

"Uh, I suppose you're wondering why we didn't come home until after sunrise."

He nodded. "Yes. But that's not what this is about."

"It's not?"

"As hard as this may be for you to believe, I know what it's like to be a teenager. You're all alive and you don't look hung over, so I don't need to know what you were up to. But, you need to understand that you can't keep doing stuff like this. You're about to graduate from high school, and I know you feel like your invincible, but you're not."

"I don't think that."

He held up his hand. "Yes you do, you all do, it's part of being a teenager. But you've still got a lot of hard work ahead of you. When you start college you're going to need to be focused, on school and on basketball. This type of thing may not matter right now, but don't make it a habit."

I nodded. "We won't."

"Good." He picked up his paper and unfolded it. "I'm glad we had this talk."

"Thanks, Mr. Evans."

"As long as you two are still engaged you might as well call me Dad." He said, not looking from behind his paper.

"Thanks, Dad." It felt like the right thing to say, even if calling another man Dad did feel strange.

I made my way into the kitchen and pulled a large package of bacon from the freezer, and a dozen eggs out of the refrigerator. Their cook was in, and would've made breakfast for us, but the simple ritual of making breakfast for the pack brought me comfort.

Jesse was the next to come downstairs. He looked calmer then he had the day before, but was still a little skittish.

"Any bad dreams?" I asked as he started helping me with the eggs.

"No."

"That's good."

"Oh yeah." He grabbed a still hot piece of bacon from the plate next to the frying pan and popped it into his mouth. "Any idea how we're going to find the tablet?"

"Well, the ruins were at the Evans's golf club, so we should probably start by having Sharpay give Fulton a call."

"Who's Fulton?"

"The manager of the resort. He's terrified of Sharpay."

"Who isn't?"

"Gabriella."

"Talking about me behind my back?" Gabi's voice came from the kitchen's doorway.

"Speak of the Devil." Jesse said.

"No, Sharpay's not up yet." Gabi said, taking a seat at the table.

Jesse and I laughed.

"Oh, God. I forgot to call my mom. You're never going to see me again." Gabriella said, pulling her phone out. "She's probably called out the National Guard by now."

She stood up from the table and left the room.

Sharpay was the next downstairs. I set a loaded plate on the table for her. She sat down and dug in, while Jesse and I continued to cook.

"Give Fulton a call when you're done with that." I said.

She nodded between bites. The looked around the room for the first time. "Where's Gabriella?" She asked after swallowing.

"On the phone with her mom." Jesse said, flipping more bacon out of the frying pan.

"Poor girl."

Ryan and Joey entered the kitchen. Joey didn't look very awake, but I could hear his stomach growl all the way from the stove. Ryan came up behind me, wrapping one arm around my waist and reaching for the plate of bacon with his other. "Mmm… my two greatest loves. Bacon, and a man who can cook it."

I snatched the bacon from his hand and grasped it in my teeth. He turned me around and bit it out of my mouth. Nibbling down its length until we were in a kiss. "Mmm… and a man who tastes like bacon."

"Aren't you two ever off?" Sharpay said between mouthfuls.

I gave her a smile. "Shouldn't you be finishing breakfast so you can call Fulton?"

She sighed. "See if I get you a summer job this year." She said and crammed a forkful of egg into her mouth.

"Shit. We need to get new jobs." Joey said.

"Don't worry. We'll hook you up at the country club." Ryan said.

"No. We can get jobs on our own." Joey said.

"I'm sure you can. But you're not going to." Sharpay said, standing up.

Joey rolled his eyes. "There's nothing I can do to stop you, is there?"

Sharpay paused for a moment, considering. "No." Then she whisked out of the room, grabbing the phone from the wall as she went.

"How did you survive growing up with her?" Joey asked Ryan.

"Yoga."

"You'll have to teach me that." Jesse said.

We all laughed.

Sharpay walked back into the room and glared at each of us in turn before hanging up the phone. "Well, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is I found out where everything from the dig was taken."

"And the bad news?" I asked.

"The University of Albuquerque doesn't have a very good archaeology department, so the dig team was from Arizona State."

"Arizona?" Joey asked.

"It makes sense." Jesse said.

"So, all we have to do is go to another state, break into a University, steal a tablet that probably ways a ton, and smuggle it back here. Oh, while sneaking around a pack of werewolves that already has it in for us." I said, sitting down to my own breakfast at last.

"Why do they have it in for us?" Jesse asked.

"They were the ones who threatened to _purge_ the entire city if we didn't stop Darbus."

"So I take it just telling them why we need it isn't an option?" Joey asked.

Ryan gave a bitter laugh. "No. It'd be just the excuse they needed."

"We should let Kelsi's parents know." Sharpay said.

I nodded. "Maybe they'll have some way we can get in without starting a war."

* * *

Sharpay and Ryan went right to Kelsi's after breakfast. I drove Gabriella home, her mom had demanded she come home right away for a long talk. We pulled up to her house, and she hesitated after opening the truck's door.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No. I have to do this myself." She didn't get out of the truck though.

"Scared?"

"Hugely."

I put my hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you've stared down an army of corpse-eaters. How bad can your mom possibly be?"

She laughed. "You have no idea."

"Hey. You met my dad. I think I might have some idea."

She smiled, and got out of the truck. "Thanks, Troy."

"Anytime."

I watched as she walked up to her door. She fumbled for her keys, but her mom opened the door before she found them. Gabriella went inside, and Mrs. Montez gave me an angry glare before shutting the door.

I drove over to Kelsi's and was the last to arrive. I could tell Sharpay had already told them when I entered.

"There's no way they'd allow us to enter their territory. Not for this. They'd just as soon kill everyone who's been infected by this Shepherd." Mr. Nielsen was saying as I entered their living room.

"And to be honest I'm not entirely sure they'd be wrong to do it." Kelsi's mom added.

Jesse gasped.

"There's been too much death here already. If we were going to kill you, or you," she said noticing that I'd come in. "We would've done it instead of going down there with you." Mrs. Nielsen said.

"But this is a big risk. We don't know what we're dealing with here, and if even part of that legend is true, then the two of you could be the key for it to contaminate our entire race." Kelsi's dad said.

"We'll have to see what we can learn about the security at the University from here. Once we've learned all we can, you're going to have to go in and get it." Mrs. Nielsen said, pointing from me to Jesse.

"Us?" I asked.

"We'd be too recognizable, the elder Oborotni there all know us. Whatever happens, we can't have this connected to us or they might just decide to purge us even with the murderer gone. And, as harsh as this may sound, it's your problem. If I'm going to ask anyone else to take the risks, it should be you two."

"I'm going with them." Ryan said, standing.

"Me too." Joey said, taking Jesse's hand in his.

Kelsi's mom sighed. "I can't stop you, but just you four, no one else. That's final." She glared at Jason, Kelsi, and Sharpay.

"But they might need me. Wouldn't it be safest to go during the new moon so that they can't be sniffed out?" Sharpay said.

Mrs. Nielsen rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Do what you want, but just you five then. Do not take Gabriella with you. There's no need for her to go." Mr. Nielsen said.

"But none of this matters right now." Kelsi's mom said. "If that creature was telling the truth, then we have six months to get this done. For right now, you, all of you, are going to lay low until after graduation. Is that clear?"

We all nodded.

"Good. Now if you want to help, one of you should try applying to Arizona State as an Anthropology major, maybe you'll be able to find out something useful, or even be invited for a tour of the campus."

Jesse nodded. "I'll do that."

"Good. Now you'd all better get home. No more missing school, for any reason. You've all missed too much as it is, people are already going to be suspicious."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 **

Graduation was only two weeks away. The next day at school the whispering had returned. Missing two days of classes right after the play had brought me, and my friends, to everyone's attention. The fact that Jason and Kelsi had also been absent had naturally started rumors that I'd finally snapped and killed both of them. I also overheard some rumors that I'd killed Ryan, Sharpay, and Gabriella before taking my own life. Everyone in this school needed to find a new hobby.

I left Ryan at his locker, and braved the gossip filled halls on my own. Chad met me at my locker.

"Hey man, what's up?"

"Uh… not much. Just had a little too much to drink at the cast party."

"So uh… you didn't actually kill anyone, did you?"

"What? How can you even ask me that?"

"Well, everyone's been talking. And Jason hasn't been answering his phone."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "You didn't think about calling me?"

"Uh…"

"How long have we known each other. You said we were like brothers, and now you really think that I could kill someone. Let alone Jason."

"Look, I'm sorry."

"You know what. Forget about it. If you don't know me well enough, to know that I could never do anything like that, then I don't need you in my life." I slammed my locker shut and stormed off to homeroom, leaving Chad still stuttering an apology as I left.

The day sped by, and I didn't pay attention in any of my classes, not that I or anyone else needed to. Everyone had already been accepted to college by now, so as long as we got good enough grades to graduate, the whole semester was a bad joke.

At lunch Jesse and Gabriella were again sharing a table with the rest of the Scholastic Decathlon, their state championship was the next week. Joey and Sharpay were already sitting with Ryan and I as I opened the lunch I'd packed.

Jason sighed as he took seat between Joey and I.

"Tough day?" Joey asked him.

"Probably not as hard as Troy's. But I can't believe how shocked everyone is to see me here alive."

Ryan laughed.

"I actually heard someone claim that we'd been lured out to the desert and Troy had run me over with his truck before strangling you with your nylons." Kelsi said as she sat down next to Sharpay.

I laughed. "Don't think I haven't been tempted."

Sharpay glared at me. "Try it _Teen Wolf_."

Ryan laughed.

I cuffed the back of his head.

"Ow. What?"

Everyone else laughed then.

* * *

Jesse spent every evening that week at Gabriella's. Her mom wasn't even letting her out of the house to study anymore. No one had any more strange dreams, so it seemed that the creature in the cave had at least told the truth about that much. Ryan and I took the time to spend a few nights at my house, enjoying a few quiet nights in.

The full moon was the next Monday. Ryan and I traded charges; I looked after Jesse in Ryan's room, since he'd already been able to control it once, and Ryan spent the evening in Joey's room.

"Okay. Now just breath normally. Jesse."

"I know what to do."

"Uh uh. You know how to do it Ryan's way. Now we're doing it mine."

"What do you mean?"

"He fights his wolf down, but you don't have to do it that way. When it wakes up, try to work with it. It's just a part of you."

He nodded, and I felt the full moon rise in my spine.

"Now it's just part of you. You don't need to fight it anymore than you need to fight being smart or gay. Just accept it."

He closed his eyes, and a bit of five o'clock shadow started to appear on his face.

"You are the wolf, and the wolf is you. You don't need to fight it, you just need to not want to change."

He took a deep breath.

"Stop that. You're fighting it."

"If I don't, I'll change."

"If you do, it's not the end of the world. Don't be afraid of it, it's what you are. Are you afraid of being gay?"

"No,"

"Then why are you afraid of this?"

"I don't want to hurt anyone." He said.

"And you won't. I know what happened to you, I know why you'd be afraid of that, but you are the wolf, Jesse. If you wouldn't hurt someone, you won't when you're changed either."

"I don't know."

"What about the fact that we've been talking for almost five minutes and you haven't changed yet."

He opened his eyes and blinked. "You tricked me."

"It worked, didn't it?"

He gave me a wolfish smile. "Yeah, it did. But you're still a dirty bastard."

I laughed and we went downstairs together.

Ryan and a changed Joey came down about an hour later.

"No luck?" Jesse asked the wolf.

It shook its head.

"He's too scared. As long as he thinks he can't control it, he won't be able to."

"We can't all be gods of yoga like you, Ry." I said.

"It didn't take you this long to learn how to control it."

"It would've if I didn't have you. And I'm sure if you let them be together Jesse could keep him from changing too."

"He has to learn how to control it on his own, Troy."

"I know, I'm just saying."

"I'm sure he'll get the hang of it guys." Jesse said, scratching between Joey's ears. "Who's a cute doggy?"

Joey gave Jesse a half growl around his lolling tongue, and then collapsed onto the ground, offering his belly to be rubbed.

Joey didn't manage to get control of himself the next night either. On the final night of the full moon for May Jesse didn't need my help, and Ryan declared him safe enough to spend the night studying at Gabriella's again, they only had two days before the Decathlon competition.

Joey panicked as soon as the moon rose, and even Ryan wasn't able to talk him out of the change. As confident as he was on stage, he had serious confidence issues in the werewolf department.

"Well, it's official. Jesse, Gabriella, and Sharpay all beat you." I said.

He growled at me in annoyance.

"You're not helping." Ryan said.

"Maybe some competition is just what he needs."

Ryan rolled his eyes.

* * *

East High's Scholastic Decathlon team came in second in the State Championships. Jesse and Gabriella were inconsolable; both were convinced that if they'd had just a few more days to study, and had missed just a few less days of practice, they could've won.

I felt bad for them. But so close to graduation it was hard for me to focus on anything else. There were now only four days left in our high school careers. Soon, if we managed not to get ourselves killed, which was a big 'if', we'd all be heading off to college.

Jesse hadn't heard anything back from Arizona State University yet, and for what I was told was a leading anthropology department, their website was useless. Or at least useless to a group of people looking to break into it. There were no mentions of the dig at Lava Springs, let alone information on where the relics they dug up might be kept. That didn't stop us from looking at it at least once a day hoping that maybe something had been added.

"Well, it's not a big building. How long do you think it would take to just search every room?" Jesse asked as the five of us were plotting at my house the day before graduation.

"Longer then it will take security to find us." I said.

He nodded.

"Well. There'll be summer school classes, right? So we should be able to scout all the public areas, and maybe the classrooms." Ryan said.

"How much will that leave?" Joey asked.

"Too much." Sharpay answered before Ryan could speak.

"Okay. We've been over all of this before. We should take a break." I said.

"We need to get everything down. We can't afford to leave anything to chance." Jesse said.

"Come on guys. It's the night before we graduate, and we're staying in to plan a robbery, that we don't even know enough to plan yet." I said.

Jesse looked like he was about to protest again, but Joey held a finger to his boyfriend's lips. "He's right. We should go out and do something fun. We have all summer to worry about our impending doom."

"Think we can spring Gabriella from her mother?" Ryan asked.

Sharpay laughed. "Not a chance. She'd gut us all if we tried."

"So what do you guys want to do?" I asked.

"Movies?" Jesse asked.

"We can do that whenever. Come on guys. We're young, we're hot, and we never have a high school class again. We can do better." I said.

"There's always that gay bar." Sharpay said.

"Let's call that plan B. We've already done that. There has to be something to do in this city."

"It isn't exactly New York or Los Angeles, Troy." Ryan said.

"There has to be something."

"Okay. How about this? Right now, we get out of this house, and go to a coffee shop. Then we decide where to go after that." Joey said.

"Well, it's a start. Let's go. Who's driving?"

"One of us needs to get a bigger car. We're going to end up taking three." Sharpay said.

"None of us need to drive. Let's do this in style." Ryan pulled out his phone and dialed a number from his phone book.

Joey looked from Ryan to me. "Tell me he's not doing what I think he's doing."

Ryan gave my address to whoever he was on the phone with.

"Don't complain so much, Joey. Just bask in my brother's generous nature." Sharpay said with a smile.

Ryan closed his phone. "The limo will be here in fifteen minutes."

* * *

We attracted a lot of stairs at the coffee shop; I don't think anyone ever arrived there in a limo before. Ryan told the driver to wait for his call, and gave him a large tip, before following the rest of us inside.

I'd never been to this coffee shop before, not that I'd been to that many. There was a picture of a water pipe stenciled on the window, like the one the caterpillar used in Alice in Wonderland. I passed through the door, and caught a hint of mint and flowers in the air. A group of people were lounging on a large sofa near the door, a lit water pipe sitting on the ground at their feet. As I watched one took a long drag from the hose before handing it off to his friend, and then exhaled slowly, blowing smoke rings right at me. I sniffed one, it didn't smell like a cigarette, and I'd smelled enough pot to know that it wasn't that either; it smelled a bit like watermelon.

I walked past the smokers and ordered Ryan a chai latte and volcano brownie, and for once he didn't fight me over who got to pay. Jesse beat me to the only available couch, and sprawled across it, reserving the other half for his other half. I gave him a playful glare, and collapsed into the large chair next to it. When Jesse, Sharpay, and I had comfortable seats surrounding a low table, Ryan walked up with our food and drinks. He arched an eyebrow at Jesse as he took he chair at my side.

"Seriously? The captain of the basketball team was aced out of the couch by the amazing hyena-boy?"

I rolled my eyes. Jesse stuck his tongue out at Ryan.

Ryan laughed and handed me my latte and bagel.

Joey was the last to arrive, having been persuaded to wait for not just his order, and Jesse's, but Sharpay's as well. Jesse looked reluctant to sit up, but Joey forced him into an upright position by holding his muffin just out of arms' reach.

"So what next?" Sharpay asked.

"I want to try one of those." Ryan said, pointing at the water pipe being used by the door.

"Eww? Smoking, Ry? That's so gross."

"Why? It's not like we can get cancer." Joey said.

"That doesn't make it any less gross. I like my mouth the way it is, not tasting like an ashtray."

"No one's going to force you to try it." Ryan said, standing up and heading for the register again. He waited in the short line, and then spoke with the Middle Eastern or maybe Indian looking man behind the counter. He pointed at the pipe, and the man nodded. The clerk checked Ryan's ID, and then took some cash that Ryan handed to him.

Ryan came back and sat down. "They'll bring it out to us."

I spread some cream cheese on my bagel, and took a big bite. Soon enough a waitress brought one of the pipes to us, and set it down at the base of the table. She took some lit charcoal from the tray, and placed it upon the foil wrapped head. She then unwound the hose, which I noticed was shaped like a cobra, from around the thing and held it out. Ryan took it.

"How do I do this?" Ryan asked.

"You've never smoked hookah before?"

He shook his head.

"Just hold it up to your mouth and inhale normally. Don't try holding it in, it's not pot."

Ryan nodded, and brought the hose to his lips, taking an experimental puff. I expected him to cough, but he didn't. He blew a line of smoke passed his lips, and gave an appreciative whistle. "That's smooth."

The waitress nodded with a smirk. "Come find me when you need more coals."

Ryan took another puff, and then handed the hose to me.

"I don't think so." I said.

"Come on. You've got to try it. It tastes really good."

I sighed, but accepted it. I held it to my lips as he had done, and inhaled. It didn't burn like the cigarettes had the few times I'd tried them, but I didn't really get what the big deal was. Then I exhaled. It was like a rush of flavored air over my tongue.

"What flavor is that?" I asked.

"They recommended mint/rose, so that's what I ordered."

"Rose flavored smoke?" Joey asked, his face showing skepticism. "Let me try that."

I took another puff, longer this time as I was no longer afraid of it, then handed it to Joey. He didn't bother with an experimental pull as Ryan and I had, but took a deep drag. His face showed confusion as he exhaled.

"Okay. It is rose flavored smoke. This is so weird." He took another puff, and then offered it to Jesse.

"I'm good, thanks."

Joey shrugged and handed the serpentine hose back to me. I took a quick pull before handing it back to Ryan.

"Ugh. I can't believe you guys are sharing that. Do you have any idea how unsanitary that is?" Sharpay said.

"Joey. Do you have any communicable diseases?" Ryan asked between puffs.

Joey laughed. "None you didn't give me."

Ryan nodded and turned to Sharpay, blowing a large puff of the sweet smoke in her direction. "And Troy and I swap spit all the time. So I think we'll live."

Sharpay rolled her eyes, and then put on a theatrical show of coughing at the smoke Ryan had sent her way. Ryan, Joey, and I laughed at her over-the-top antics.

After an hour the bowl was spent, the three of us were left with a pleasant light-headed feeling, and we hadn't even talked about where to go next. Ryan ordered another bowl for the hookah, the waitress recommended a flavor called double apple, and so we tried that; it was kind of liking smoking sweet apple sauce. Sharpay and Jesse still refused to join us, and both were starting to look more than a little bored.

"Okay. After that one we are _so_ going somewhere else." Sharpay said.

Jesse nodded in agreement.

"I'm open for suggestions." Ryan said, handing me the hose.

"Does that gay bar have a drag show every night, or just on weekends?" Sharpay asked.

Jesse blushed at the mention of the drag show the last time we'd all gone out together.

I shrugged, and spoke between puffs. "No clue."

"Well call someone and find out."

"The people who would know don't talk to me anymore." I said.

Ryan placed a reassuring pat on my leg.

Sharpay frowned and leaned backwards into her seat.

I handed the hose off to Joey. "Another problem I won't have after tomorrow."

"Can you believe it's been four years already? It seems like just yesterday we were freshmen."

I laughed. "Speak for yourself. This has been the longest year of my life."

"Feeling regret?" Ryan asked.

"No. I wouldn't trade my time with you for anything." I ran my hand through his hair, knocking his hat at a weird angle.

He adjusted it, and then gave me a smile. "Don't get any ideas, Bolton. This hat is staying mine."

"We'll see." I said.

Not to be out done, Joey took a deep pull from the hookah, and then pulled Jesse into a kiss, exhaling into his mouth. Jesse pulled away, smoke curling from his open mouth.

"Wow, that isn't so bad." Jesse said, and then cuffed Joey on the back of the head.

"Ow. What?"

Ryan and I laughed. Sharpay giggled.

Jesse grabbed for the hose, but Joey tossed it to Ryan. "Oh no. You passed your spot in the rotation. You'll have to wait until it gets back to you now."

Jesse leaned back into the couch, sulking. "I swear, if your dick wasn't so big…"

"Then I wouldn't need so much lube." Joey finished for him.

I laughed louder, and Sharpay joined in. Ryan blushed.

Jesse sighed.

Joey looked at him with concern. "What's wrong, Jess?"

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that."

Jesse sighed again. "It's just that we're graduating tomorrow. I kind of always thought I'd graduate back in Baltimore. You know, with Kelly and everyone else. With my parents watching."

Joey nodded. "I know. Maybe we should've gone back."

Jesse shook his head. "No, we can't. Not now. And coming here was the right thing to do."

Ryan, Sharpay, and I just sat in silence as they spoke. None of us could identify with what the two of them had to be feeling. I could come the closest, my own parents wouldn't see me walk, but at least I had hope that they were alive and together somewhere.

We finished the second head faster then the first, with Jesse helping this time. And despite our protests Sharpay insisted that it was time to leave. Ryan called the limo, and we headed off to the gay bar we'd gone to with Gabriella. I gave her a call on the way, but there was no way she'd be able to get out of the house. She'd had to beg and mope for a week to get permission to go to grad night the next day, and didn't want to do anything to piss her mom off right now.

There wasn't much of a line at the club when we got their, but the bouncer made us wait outside for almost half an hour after taking a look at our clothes. We hadn't really dressed for it this time, but I was still surprised. I don't want to sound immodest, but how could anyone not let Ryan and I in?

The music inside was loud, and there wasn't a drag show this time. I used my fake ID to buy a round of drinks for the five of us, but we didn't stay long after that. The music was giving Ryan a headache, and I didn't think I was far behind him. We drove around town in the limo for a while, but called it a night before midnight; we had to be on the football field at seven the next morning for the graduation rehearsal, and we'd need to be well rested for the next night.

The limo dropped Ryan, Sharpay, and I back at my house, then took Joey and Jesse back to the Evans's estate. Sharpay would've gone with them, but her car was still parked in front of my house next to Ryan's. She left us, and Ryan and I went in and right to bed.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 **

I glared at my alarm when it went off the next morning. Why did the rehearsal have to be so early? It was our last day of school, ever for some of the kids in the class; couldn't they let us sleep in just this once? I considered hitting the snooze button, but you didn't get to walk if you missed the rehearsal, and I didn't have any covers to crawl back under. I looked at Ryan, he was cocooned beneath them. I made a promise to stay up one night and see how he does that, then nudged him. "Wake up."

He grunted.

I poked him again. "We can't be late."

He grunted again and slapped at my hand.

"Wait. Why am I the first one up?" I began prodding his side; he shifted away from me with each poke. I stopped before the next poke would've sent him off the bed and onto the floor. "Fine, you brought this on yourself." I got out of the bed, yanked the covers off of him, paused for just a second to admire his naked body, grabbed his feet, and pulled. He grabbed for the headboard, but missed as I yanked him out of the bed. "Good morning."

He glared at me. "You're going to pay for that."

I laughed. "Not as much as I'd pay if I let you miss the rehearsal." I reached down and helped him up to his feet, then placed my hands on his warm butt and shoved him towards the open bathroom door. "Come on."

"If you keep that up we're never going to make it."

"I thought I was supposed to be the horny one?"

"In your dreams, Bolton."

I rolled my eyes and started the shower. "As much as I want to spend all day in this shower with you, your sister would kill me."

His eyes widened at the mention of Sharpay and he groaned.

Ryan drove us in his Mustang, and we made it just in time. I gave him a kiss on the lips, and then headed off to join the rest of the 'B' section, leaving him to find his sister in the much smaller 'E' section. The graduates on either side of me didn't look to happy to have me there, they were probably afraid I'd have a meat hook under my cap and gown or something.

They walked us through the ceremony, it was simple enough. March up with your section, wait for your name to be called, cross the stage, get your diploma, leave the stage, and then return to your seat. It was simple, but with a graduating class as large as ours it still took two hours. Why did we have to get up so early for that? I think Principal Matsui just wanted to remind us of why we shouldn't miss high school too much.

After the rehearsal there was a senior only assembly for the playing of the senior video. It was made by the student council, so a lot of the highlights were from stuff they were involved in. But there was footage from our championship game, and from prom. They actually included me proposing to Ryan, not the whole thing and there was some annoying pop-song playing over it, but the end where I went down on one knee. I'd thought I'd be completely cut from the video, but it looked like at least someone else didn't think I was a homicidal maniac.

* * *

The senior picnic was after that. Ryan and I considered skipping it, but Gabriella wouldn't let us. With her mom on the warpath she didn't have many chances to hang out with her friends and wanted to know everything we'd done the night before. Of course, as soon as we got to the park where the picnic was being held she was kidnapped by Taylor and we didn't see her again for an hour.

Jason and Chad both brought super soakers, and Jason surprised me with a cold blast from the roof. I chased after him, but he circled around and went after Ryan. Ryan was ready for him though. When Jason tried to surprise him he turned a hose on him, soaking him to the bone.

I snatched Jason's squirt gun from the ground, and took aim at Kelsi. She was stalking along the roof of the bathroom building, aiming a water pistol at Ryan. I let her have it with her boyfriend's own weapon. It didn't stop her from getting Ryan in the hat though. He spun around and aimed his hose at the roof, catching the returning Gabriella in it's torrent as he turned. She screamed, and tried to get out of the way, but the hose was pumping out too much water.

I laughed, and then felt a hand land on my shoulder. I spun around and opened fire into Jason's face. He sputtered, and reached for his super soaker. I held on tight and ran for it. I'm not sure how he managed it, I'm way faster than he is, but he managed a burst of speed just long enough to tackle me into the park's shallow lake.

I stood up sputtering, the filthy green water pouring down my face and trying to penetrate my eyes, nose, and mouth. Jason surfaced a moment later, he spit up a mouthful of the murky water. I heard snickering, and rubbed the water from my eyes to find Ryan and Kelsi standing at the edge, both trying not to laugh.

"Yeah. Very funny guys." I said.

Ryan snorted, and Kelsi collapsed into a fit of giggling.

I reached down, grabbed the floating squirt gun from the surface of the lake, and let both of them have it. Jason joined in, using his bulk to send a wave at them; it only barely escaped the edge of the lake, but was enough to soak their feet.

"Well, if you're going to be like that. You can walk home." Ryan said, glaring at his soaked loafers. "Come on Kelsi."

She huffed and followed him.

Jason and I climbed out of the lake laughing and looked after them.

"So how mad do you think they are?" Jason asked.

"They had it coming."

Jason sniffed at his wet shirt. "Whoa, that's not a good smell."

I took a whiff of my own soaked clothing. "Ugh. Why'd you have to tackled me into the lake?"

"You stole my gun."

I emptied it into the lake, and then handed it back to him.

We waited until we were dry before joining the picnic proper, most of the good food was already gone, but the school had ordered some giant subs so there was still enough for the two of us. After that Ryan took me back to my place before heading to his own home to change and get ready for the night.

I checked the mail on my way in. There were a few magazines, and some bills that I still needed to get used to having to pay on my own, and a postcard. The picture on the post card was of a small ship on a blue sea, I flipped it over and noticed there was no return address, but it said 'M & D'. The return address was to Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico. I smiled at it, carrying it upstairs with me after leaving the rest of the mail on a table in the entry way.

* * *

I took a shower to wash the stench of the lake out of my hair and off my skin, and then shaved, something I'd been neglecting for a few days. I styled my hair and then put on black slacks and socks with my coral blue shirt and matching tie. I still can't tell how coral blue is any different from the half-dozen other shades Sharpay could list off, but both she and Ryan agreed it was my best color. I took a long look at myself in the mirror, I was amazed at how much older a shirt and tie made me look, for a moment I was struck by how much I looked like my dad.

I took my cap and gown from the bag they'd been sent in, I hadn't even tried them on yet, and went down to my truck to head for the campus. I took my still damp clothes from the picnic down with me and left them on the garage floor near the washer and dryer.

I pulled out my cell phone and checked the time, something I should've done sooner. It was still an hour too early to head to the school, so I drove to Ryan's instead. Their butler opened the door, and informed me that everyone else was still upstairs getting ready; I nodded and made my way into the living room, taking a seat on our usual love seat.

Jesse and Joey were the first to make it downstairs. Jesse was wearing a white shirt with a green tie, and Joey had on a white shirt and black tie. Jesse took a seat while Joey went into the kitchen to grab a snack.

"Ya know, I almost thought you'd wear a yellow tie." I said.

Jesse's eyes widened and he groaned. "Don't remind me."

"He can't." Joey said from the doorway. "After we got back from the nest he burned everything yellow in the closet."

Jesse nodded. "Damn straight I did."

I laughed. "Probably a good idea. If owned anything yellow, I'd burn it too."

"Yeah. Never let me wear that color again, ever."

Joey nodded and took a seat next to his boyfriend. "Don't worry."

"You look horrible in it anyway." Ryan said from the base of the stairs, in his black pinstripe suit, white dress shirt, and red patterned tie. It looked like he'd put some gel or something in his hair, for the first time in a long time he was actually going to be leaving the house without one of his trademark hats.

I stood up and walked up to him. "You look amazing, Ry."

He gave me a smirk. "I know. You don't look half bad yourself."

I leaned in and gave him a quick kiss.

We ended up having to drag Sharpay downstairs, she insisted her makeup wasn't finished, but I don't think the entire staff of Cosmo would've been able to tell. Ryan rode in with me, and he let Joey borrow his car again, so that no one would be forced to ride in the backseat. Ryan's parents were coming to, of course, there was no way they'd miss seeing their babies graduate from high school, but they drove themselves, so that we wouldn't have to wait on them.

We threw on our gowns after getting out of the truck; Ryan helped me with my cap, and I helped him with his. They didn't fit like any hat he was used to, and were really expensive for something we were only going to wear the once.

"How do I look?" He asked.

"Like a character from _Harry Potter_. Let's just get this over with."

He rolled his eyes, and attempted to adjust his mortarboard to an angle like he was used too, sending it toppling to the parking lot ground. I reached down and picked it up, then dusted it off and placed it back on his head.

"I can't believe we have to wear these things. They're ridiculous."

I nodded in agreement, then took his hand and led him towards the football field where the rest of the graduates were already milling about. Sharpay had beaten us there; I couldn't imagine what speed she must've driven at to pull that off. Joey and Jesse arrived just after we did, right in time for everyone to take their seats.

Principal Matsui gave an opening speech, followed by the president of the student council, Gabriella and Taylor were co-valedictorians, so they both gave a speech after that, followed by the class's elected speaker, Chad. I was almost surprised that I hadn't been elected. Right after we'd won the State Championship I would've been a shoo-in, but being known as the son of a killer can change a lot. Principal Matsui introduced each speaker, letting everyone know what college they decided on. I already knew Gabriella was going to the University of Albuquerque, but was surprised to learn that both Chad and Taylor were going to UC Berkley.

It was strange to learn where my best friend was going like that. Not that we were friends anymore, I'd made that much clear the last time we'd spoken. I couldn't believe that he, of everyone I knew, would believe me or my dad capable of what everyone said. But, I realized, it wasn't like I'd been open with him before that either. I couldn't just walk up to him and say, 'hey Chad, I'm a werewolf, and so is everyone else you know. Well except for Sharpay, turns out you were right all along, she is a mountain lion.' I could almost laugh and how ridiculous it sounded.

I had to face facts. I didn't even pay attention to Chad's speech. I wasn't a human anymore, I was an Oboroten, and as much as I might hate it, that came with responsibilities. I had responsibilities to myself, to my family, to the friends I still had, and most of all to Ryan; and my friendship with Chad, my friendship with everyone who wasn't like me, was just another price I had to pay. Suddenly virtual immortality didn't sound like all it was cracked up to be. At least I'd always have Ryan, and if I ever lost him, I knew I'd lose myself too. I thought about hunting Chad down and biting him, maybe then we could be friends again; but despite some of the perks, being one of us wasn't easy. I couldn't do that to him, he'd never forgive me.

I snapped out of my bitter thoughts when the graduates to either side of me stood up. I climbed to my feet, and marched to the front with my row. Principal Matsui called my name, and I walked across the stage. I didn't hear any applause, though I guessed that at the very least Kelsi and Ryan's parents were there to see me. It still wasn't the same though. I glanced to the stands lining the field, almost expecting to see my parents there. I didn't see anyone I recognized in the sea of grim faces. I returned to my seat, and spent the rest of the ceremony lost in my thoughts. I only just managed to pay enough attention to applaud when Ryan and then Sharpay's names were called.

I noticed that the girl sitting to my left was wearing her class ring, and I had to stifle another bitter laugh, even that was denied to me. I focused on the platinum engagement ring Ryan had given me, and somehow all my problems seemed to melt away, well all my problems except for the four years his parents wanted us to wait.

I realized that the people next to me were standing again, and joined them just in time for the traditional cap toss. I threw mine straight up and caught it without trouble, I'd paid enough for it that there was no way I was going to risk losing it, even if I'd never have a reason to wear it again.

I headed right for the 'E' row, and caught Ryan in an embrace. "I love you." I said, and then leaned in for a long kiss that left him gasping for air.

"I love you, too." He said when he'd regained the ability to speak.

"Come on guys, grad night awaits, and I'm not staying in this cheap thing one minute longer than I have to." Sharpay said with a smile.

"Did she just call these cheap?" I asked in disbelief.

Ryan shrugged. "Well, I think she has scrunchies that cost more."

We'd been dating for over nine months, and I'd spent more nights then I could count at Ryan's house, but it still amazed me just how much money his family had. I spent a lot of time trying not to think about it; even with my parents' life savings now sitting in my bank account I felt like a complete scrub in comparison.

Ryan had guessed what I was thinking and took my chin in his hand, guiding my lips to his. "It's just money, Troy. It doesn't change how I feel about you." I nodded and allowed him to lead me back to his car, we took off our gowns and I loosened my tie as we went.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20 **

We sped back to Ryan's house and changed into our swimsuits. Grad night, an event sponsored by the school to try and keep us from drinking, was an all night party at the waterpark Ryan and I had gone to before prom. It was kind of lame, but everyone was going because it was our last chance to see our class mates, or in my case scare them, before we all went our separate ways.

We stowed our towels in a locker, and Ryan lead me to the water slides.

"You just want to dunk me again." I accused him

He shrugged and smiled. "It's not my fault you look so good wet."

"It totally is."

"How do you figure?"

"If I didn't have to keep this killer body to keep your eyes from wandering, then you wouldn't want to dunk me."

"Uh huh, and basketball has nothing to do with it?"

"Well, maybe a little."

"Just for that you're getting dunked twice."

I groaned as he took my hand and pulled me up the damp stairs. True to his word Ryan dunked me twice, but I managed to dunk him once for his trouble.

The pack had all agreed not to spend too much time hanging out that night. It wasn't like we weren't going to see each other again, even if we didn't hang out as much as we did, we were all going to the same university, and Sharpay had gotten us all jobs at Lava Springs again. Ryan and I spent the night dividing our time between saying good bye to the rest of the basketball team and the drama club. More than once I had to rescue Ryan from the tearful embrace of some drama student or another who barely even knew him, but felt the sudden need to express just how much they were going to miss him.

Sharpay, on the other hand, basked in their attention, and was making the rounds bidding farewell to everyone.

"Does she even know half of those people?" I asked Ryan.

He shook his head. "No, not a one."

We laughed together and wandered off to the wave pool for a relaxing float.

When the long wet night was over, the pack met up at an all-night IHOP near the university for breakfast. We were all too tired to figure out how to divide the check ourselves, so we each just left a twenty on the table, probably the best tip that waitress has ever gotten, and then went our somewhat separate ways. Ryan and I dropped Gabriella off at her house before continuing back to the Evans's where we collapsed into bed, exhausted from having been up for such an eventful twenty-four hours.

* * *

We slept until five that day; when Ryan's parents woke us up to let us know that dinner was going to be ready in an hour. We climbed out of his bed and took a long hot shower, indulging ourselves in a little bit of fun, and then went downstairs. Joey was sitting on the couch yawning and Jesse was nuzzled up against him, resting his head on his shoulder, and snoring lightly. Sharpay was the only one of us who somehow managed to look awake.

Their cook prepared an amazing meal, and we ate in the Evans's formal dining room for the first time since Christmas. I still hadn't learned what all the forks were for; the salad, dinner, and desert forks were easy enough, but there was a weird looking short fork lying across the top of the place settings. I watched Ryan for cues, but he never touched his.

After desert Mr. Evans cleared his throat. "Well now. We have a few little things for each of you."

"We wanted to give them to you yesterday, but you all took off for the party before we arrived back here." Mrs. Evans said.

The maid came in and placed a small wrapped package in front of each of us. Mr. Evans nodded at her as she left the room. "Now high school graduation is an important day in the life of any young lady or young man, and we wanted to make sure you each had something to commemorate the event."

I felt a wave of anxiety flood my stomach as I stared at the box. If this was anything like Christmas then it was bound to be something extravagant. I was uncomfortable having Ryan's parents buy me things, but there wasn't any polite way to decline the gift, whatever it was.

"Jesse dear, why don't you open yours first." Mrs. Evans said, focusing on the braniac.

He blushed, and untied the expensive ribbon. He opened the box and his eyes widened. He reached in and pulled out a very expensive looking gold wristwatch.

"Just a little something to make sure you get to your classes on time."

"A Rolex?" Jesse asked, still staring at it in shock.

"Now it's Joey's turn."

Joey stared at the small box in front of him as though it contained a rattle snake. He tugged off the ribbon, and ripped the paper off of it. He looked more confused then Jesse had, and pulled out a key.

"We can't have you borrowing Ryan's car forever."

Joey stared at the key, reading what was written on it. "Uh… thank you."

"Your turn Sharpay, dear." Mrs. Evans said.

Sharpay tore the ribbon from her gift, ripped the paper open with well-rehearsed gusto, and then pulled out a silver lady's Rolex. "Oh, it's beautiful. Thank you, Daddy."

He nodded. "Now Troy, if you're going to be marrying our son one day, we can't have you driving him around in that ancient thing you have, it's just not safe." Mr. Evans said, looking right at me.

I picked the box up and untied the ribbon that bound it. I opened it, and found a key bearing a cobra logo and keyless entry button nestled in the padding.

"I do hope you like blue dear. Now, my dashing boy, open yours."

Ryan blushed at his mother's other nickname for him, and slid the ribbon off of his package and opened it. I looked inside to see a key that looked almost identical to the one clutched in my hand.

"We thought you'd like to match." Mr. Evans said with a smirk. "Now why don't we go outside and get a look at them before the sunsets?"

Ryan lead the way, followed by Joey. I lingered towards the back, still in shock over just how extravagant the presents were. I'd expected over the top, but not this. I walked out onto the driveway, where I could already hear Sharpay squealing in delight to find three 2008 Ford Shelby GT500KRs; they were Torch Red, Legend Lime, and Sonic Blue if I wasn't mistaken, the red one was a convertible.

"We tried to match them to your prom tuxes." Mrs. Evans said.

I pushed the button on my key, and sure enough the Sonic Blue Mustang's lights flashed.

"Oh, and don't worry, Jesse. I hope you don't mind a hand-me-down, but we're having Ryan's old car re-upholstered for you." Mrs. Evans said with a smile.

Jesse turned from where he was standing next to the Torch Red car and blinked at her. "Uh… I… thanks."

"Now we're leaving for the Bahamas in the morning and I need to finish packing, you kids have fun." Mrs. Evans turned and took her husband's offered arm. He escorted her inside.

Mr. Evans turned at the entrance. "Oh, Troy. We had your truck towed back to your house. I hope you don't mind." He turned back and Ryan's parents vanished into the house.

"Wow." Was the only thing I could think to say.

"You can say that again." Joey said, and then turned his attention back to his new car.

"Thanks for not trying to turn it down." Ryan said, placing his arms around my waist.

"I… this is too much, Ry. Even for your parents."

"No it's not. Now who wants to be the first to give me a ride?" Sharpay asked, eyeing the three Mustangs with obvious envy.

Ryan sighed and released me. "I will, Sis. I think Troy wants to be alone with his new car."

Joey opened the passenger side door of his Torch Red convertible and helped Jesse in, then circled around to the driver's side and jumped in without bothering to open the door. He was grinning like an idiot as he started it up, and fumbled with the clutch for a moment before getting it into gear.

"Go on, Troy. Take it for a spin." Ryan said with a smile, as he held his own passenger door open for his twin.

I nodded, still too awed to trust myself with speaking, and approached the sleek Sonic Blue dream. My fingers ran along the hood as I approached the driver's door, and I didn't even notice as Ryan started his car and drove off. I climbed in and slipped the key into the ignition. I'd ridden in Ryan's old Mustang often enough that I thought I knew what to expect, I was wrong. It roared to life as I turned the key, but not in the protesting way that my truck always had.

I couldn't think of where else to go, so I headed for my own house. It drove like a wet dream. I found the broken down old truck Dad and I had spent the last summer working on sitting in front of my house. I pulled the Mustang into the driveway, and then moved the truck into the garage. I hadn't known just how bad it was until I had something to compare it to. I was glad to still have it for the memories, but I didn't think I'd ever be comfortable driving it again. That done, I closed the garage and returned to the Evans's estate. Ryan's new car was parked there, Joey's was nowhere to be seen. I found Ryan and Sharpay sitting in the living room when I came in.

"So what do you think?" Ryan asked.

"It's awesome." I said, taking my usual seat at his side. "How's yours?"

He smiled. "The same."

"I still can't believe your parents bought us matching cars. Matching Mustangs."

He nodded. "I know it makes you uncomfortable, but thank you again for accepting it with such good grace."

Sharpay snorted. "Please. If you two actually get married, he'd better get used to it."

I rolled my eyes, and Ryan shot a glare at his sister.

* * *

We had the week after graduation off, but had to start at Lava Springs again the Monday after that. I was kind of dreading going back to work there, I knew that Fulton wouldn't be so bad now that Sharpay had come around and wouldn't be spending the summer trying to get us fired, but the man was still a slave driver. Joey and I spent the weekend after graduation trying out our new rides, racing from one end of town to the other just because we could. Ryan came with me, saying that he knew enough about driving a Mustang already, and that he wouldn't miss the look of wonder on my face whenever I got behind the wheel for anything.

Ryan and I reached the gas station on the outskirts of town that Joey and I had been racing too, and I was annoyed to find that he'd beaten me there.

"I totally beat your ass." He said with a smirk as we climbed out of the car.

"That's because I'm trying not to get my new baby here in a wreck." I shot back at him.

He smirked. "So where to next, _Teen Wolf_?"

"I think I've had enough racing for one day." Ryan said.

Jesse nodded his agreement. "Let's do something else." He leaned in close to us. "Like hookah."

"Now that sounds like a fabulous idea." Ryan said.

"Okay, fine." Joey said with a sigh, and then looked up at me. "Bet I can beat you there."

"You're on." I said, and bolted out the door with Ryan in tow.

We reached the coffee shop where'd we spent the night before graduation first, but only by a hair. Joey drove like a madman, or worse, like Sharpay, and I guessed that if I didn't know the roads better he'd have beaten me in all of our races.

"You should be more careful. You can still die if you get decapitated." Ryan said. "And I wouldn't count on my parents buying you a new car if you destroy that one."

Joey rolled his eyes, and held the door open for Jesse. Ryan and I followed them in, the sweet smell of scented smoke wafting to our noses as we entered.

We all approached the counter, and the same man of indeterminate ancestry was standing behind it. "Here for some more hookah?" He asked without any trace of an accent.

Jesse nodded, his head bobbing up and down with enthusiasm.

"You know for four of you, you should consider getting two. There's more to go around that way."

I rolled my eyes. "Trying for the hard sell?"

"Oh no. They sell themselves without me needing to try."

Joey laughed. "Fine, we'll take two. What flavors do you have?"

The man tapped the counter top, and I spotted a long list pinned below the glass covering. I looked it over, it read like the combined produce and candy sections of a grocery store. I spotted one entry that piqued my interest. "You have cola flavored tobacco?"

The man behind the register nodded.

"Ooh, let's get cherry and cola, Troy. It'll be like smoking a soda." Ryan said.

I nodded and allowed him to order it, but handed the man a twenty before Ryan could get his credit card out. He gave me a half glare.

"And what flavor would you gentlemen like?" The man asked, turning to look at Joey and Jesse.

"What do you recommend?" Jesse asked.

"I think you had it on your last visit. But the mint/rose is exquisite." The man stretched the 's' sound in exquisite out as he said it.

"Actually, I didn't have any of that last time. Can we get that?" Jesse asked, turning to his boyfriend. Joey nodded, and paid for the second hookah and two lemonades. Ryan and I just got water to go with ours.

The place wasn't as busy as it'd been Wednesday night, so we were able to find two couches facing each other over a small table. A waiter brought both hookahs out and assisted us in starting them. I let Ryan have the first pull from the one I'd paid for.

"Wow. It really does taste just like a Cherry Coke." He handed the hose to me, and I took a long pull, enjoying the bubbling sounds that it made as I did, and he was right. I double checked the glass base, making sure there was only water in it and they hadn't switched it with actual Cherry Coke.

"Let me try that." Joey said after my third pull. I handed it off to him, and Ryan took the hose leading to the mint/rose hookah from Jesse. Just after he took a deep pull, I grabbed him and pulled him into a kiss, sucking the sweet scented smoke from his lungs.

"Hey. That's cheating." He said.

I gave him an open mouthed smirk, letting the stolen smoke drift out of my mouth. "But _so_ good."

Joey handed our hose to Jesse, who grabbed at it like a kid on a shopping spree in a candy shop. The boy was developing a serious addiction. Ryan attempted, and failed, to blow smoke rings in my face before handing the hose off. I took a few puffs, but I was already familiar with the taste. I wanted some more of the cherry/cola hookah. Ryan seemed to read my intentions in my eyes when he regained the hose leading to our hookah, and held up his hand. "Uh uh. This smoke is all mine." I grumbled, but waited for him to hand me the hose.

"So. It's summer." Jesse said, after handing the mint/rose back to Joey.

"Yeah. Yeah it is." I said between puffs of smoke.

"That means we need to start planning again." He said.

Ryan nodded. "Not here though."

"Have you checked your mail, Troy? Anything from Arizona State?" Jesse asked me.

"Why would it be coming to me?"

"Uh… I kind of gave them your address and home phone number. I hope that's alright. I just didn't want the Evans thinking I'd applied somewhere else, since I didn't really."

I sighed. "I'm still not used to checking it all that often. I'll check when we leave here." I took another long pull, and handed the hose back to Ryan. "Whenever that is."

Jesse nodded, and took the hose Joey offered him.

"I'll say this about you guys. Our lives have gotten a lot more interesting since we met you." Joey said.

"Isn't that a Chinese curse? May you live in interesting times?" Ryan asked.

Joey chuckled. "Yeah. Yeah it is."

After we finished the first heads, Joey and I paid for a second pair. This time I ordered just straight lemon, unmixed with anything, and Joey ordered jasmine/honey. Of the two, I made the better choice, Joey's selection wasn't bad, but it didn't really taste like much either, just sweet air. The lemon tobacco was a lot more sour than I'd expected, but not bad. We spent over two hours lounging in the coffee shop, and it felt so good to be able to just relax with some friends. High school was over, work didn't start for a week, and for a while I was able to forget that we should've been busy planning a robbery.

I caught the cashier staring at us more than once. Jesse caught me staring back, and followed my gaze to man. "Is it just me, or is he a little creepy?"

"It's not just you." I said.

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Come on guy, you're just being paranoid."

I pulled my eyes away from the man and nodded. Ryan was probably right I decided.

We finished our second heads, and then went our separate ways. Jesse reminded me to check my mail before Ryan and I got into my new car and headed back to my place. I pulled into the garage next to my truck, and Ryan went in while I checked the mail. The only new things in the mailbox were some junk mail, and one of my mom's nursing journals.

"Anything for Jesse?" Ryan asked me as I walked through the front door.

I shook my head. "Nope, nothing. Unless he's got a subscription to Modern Nurse." I said holding up the magazine. Ryan chuckled.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21 **

Ryan and I spent that Saturday night cuddling on the sofa in my living room and watching scary movies on DVD. Not that any of them were really that scary; I guess when you've been in an actual fight for your life against things that should not be, it robs horror movies of their ability to do more than make you giggle.

I awoke at ten the next morning, a loud banging coming from the front door. I tried to roll over and ignore it, but it came again, louder.

"I'm trying to sleep, Sharpay." Ryan mumbled in his sleep.

The thunderous knock came again, and I guessed that whoever it was wasn't going to go away anytime soon.

I left Ryan under his stolen covers and slipped on some boxers before heading downstairs. I looked through the peephole, and sure enough Sharpay and the boys were standing there. How did she manage to knock that loud?

I opened the door and invited them in.

"Oh, did I wake you?" Sharpay asked, after surveying my unclothed state.

"Yeah."

"Well, it's time to do some more planning."

I rolled my eyes, and then stifled a laugh. Joey was staring at me and blushing. Jesse followed his boyfriend's gaze and then cuffed the back of his head.

"Ow. What?"

"Don't get any ideas _Teen Wolf Too_, you're mine."

Sharpay laughed as she wandered into the living room. "Go get some clothes on, and wake Ryan up." She called.

I sighed and went up stairs. I prodded Ryan until his eyes opened and stayed open. "Your sister's here." I said.

He groaned and nodded. "I thought I heard her gently rapping on your door."

"You call that gentle?"

"For her. There wasn't any screaming."

"Well come on, get up." I said, pulling him into a sitting position.

"I don't suppose there's time for a shower?" He asked with a wink.

"I wish. But she's downstairs with all the kitchen implements and I don't feel like being gutted today."

"I'd say she wouldn't really do it. But she knows it wouldn't kill you."

"Exactly."

I walked to the closet and threw one of Ryan's shirts to him, then put on a blue t-shirt of my own. Ryan buttoned up his shirt, and then took a pair of my jeans out of the closet. We stumbled downstairs a few minutes later.

"I ordered pizza for breakfast boys, hope you're in the mood for extra sausage." Sharpay said as we entered the living room and collapse onto the sofa.

"Mmm… sausage…" Ryan said with a nasty wink at me.

Joey blushed again and Jesse laughed.

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "I wish Gabriella was here to save me from this sausage fest."

"She's still grounded, and if we took her with us to Arizona there'd be a race between her mom and Kelsi's to see who could kill us first." I said.

"So, Sis, did you find out anything new to justify this early morning intrusion?" Ryan asked.

"No. But we need to accept that we may not be able to find out where it is, and we may have to go for it anyway." Sharpay said.

Ryan sighed. "Well we can only go during the new moon. Which means, this week, or in a month."

"I don't think we're going to be ready for anything this week." Jesse said.

"But, we won't have to worry about getting time off from work if we go this week." I said.

"Sharpay, you can get us the time off if we need it, right?" Joey asked.

Sharpay snorted. "Just who do you think you're talking to? Of course I can."

"So nothing came from Arizona State?" Jesse asked, looking at me.

"Nope. I guess you applied too late." Ryan answered for me.

"Okay. If we're going to plan let's plan. To start with, are we even sure it's going to be in the anthropology building at ASU?" I said.

"Where else would it be?" Sharpay asked.

"I don't know. A lab in another building maybe?"

Jessed nodded. "He's right. It's not a big building, they might not keep everything there."

"Is there anyway we can get in touch with the archaeologist who supervised the dig? Maybe pretend that one of you," Joey pointed at Ryan and Sharpay, "is interested in what they may have found?"

Shapray shook her head. "No. I tried that already, she's in Mexico at some Mayan ruins or something."

"So right now all we've got is to break into the building, conduct a room by room search, and hope that not only is the tablet there, but that we find it before security finds us?" I asked.

Jesse and Joey nodded.

"Well, it sounds insane when you say it like that." Sharpay said.

"Sis, it is insane." Ryan said.

"Not as insane as the times we've gone down into that nasty sewer." She said.

"Just because we're known for our bad judgment, is no reason to fuck this up." I said, glaring at her.

Sharpay sighed. "Fine. If any of you can think up a way to find out more, I'm all ears."

"Well, someone said that there is summer school there, so we can look around the building during the day. Maybe we'll get lucky and it'll be on display. At least we can rule out where it isn't." Jesse said.

"Yeah, but I'd rather not leave this to luck." I said, thinking of just how little I ever wanted to see the thing in the lake again.

"Well, we have what, four or five more months? If we don't find it on the first trip we can go back until we do." Sharpay said.

Ryan shook his head. "We can maybe pull it off twice. After two break-ins during the new moon the local Oborotni will have the place staked out."

"This would be so much easier if we didn't have to worry about them." Joey said.

"Yeah, yeah it would. But we do." I said.

"Okay. So it's settled then. We go during the first week in July, which means we have a month to do whatever research we can." Sharpay said with a smile.

"I don't remember agreeing to that. But I guess we don't have a choice. Not that we ever do." I said.

The doorbell rang, and I went with Sharpay to get the stack of pizzas, there was one for each of us, and an order of hot wings. I carried the stack into the living room and set it on the coffee table. I handed Ryan the top box, and took one for myself before re-joining him on the sofa. Sharpay took the hot wings, and curled up in my dad's favorite chair, while Joey and Jesse attempted to split a pizza before giving up and each devouring one of their own.

"You're sure I'm not going to start gaining weight?" Joey asked.

Sharpay laughed at him. "Positive."

* * *

Ryan spent the entire week at my house. We spent most of our time cuddling and watching DVDs or meeting Jesse and Joey at the coffee house for more hookah. All too soon the week was over, and it was time to return to Lava Springs for work.

The clubhouse was bigger then I remembered it, after the archaeologists had finished with the dig site, the planned expansion had been allowed to be completed. None of us had been there since the night Zeke died, and we all avoided the pool area, except for Gabriella who had to work there. On Gabriella's recommendation Jesse was given Taylor's job from the year before, Joey was relegated to the waiter/caddy position, and I was once again hired as an assistant golf-pro. I didn't think it was possible, but the kids this year were somehow worse than the one's last year. I spent my first day back dodging flying driving wedges. These kids made Mrs. Evans look safe.

I had time for a quick lunch with Ryan, who was fresh out of the spa. His skin was glowing as we ate.

"How do you do that?"

"What?"

"Glow."

He blushed. "Guacamole facial. You should try it."

"With what, chips?" I asked.

He laughed. "Nah, it would need more salt for that."

After that I returned to the edge of the vast golf course, and left Ryan to begin his rehearsals for the midsummer night's talent show. I was just glad Sharpay didn't want me to sing with her this year. I had the kids try putting, hoping that it would be safer; at least the clubs flying at my head were coming slower now.

I closed my eyes and reminded myself why I was doing this. I had a house payment to worry about now, and more bills than any teenager should be saddled with. I was proud I'd managed to get everything paid in time to prevent anything being turned off, thought it had been close on the electric bill twice now. My mom had left me plenty of money, but if I didn't start adding to my savings, it was only a matter of time before it was all gone.

I almost envied Ryan, almost. But I guessed that dodging golf clubs was still better than spending the day rehearsing with Sharpay. Especially since she knew she wouldn't be able to plot her way into having the staff kicked out of the talent show this year. At least he'd been able to convince his sister into using one of Kelsi's pieces.

It was strange being at the country club again. Things were almost like they'd been last year, yet so very different. I wasn't with Gabriella anymore; instead I was engaged to the greatest man in the world. Chad and Taylor weren't here, and I didn't think I'd ever see either of them again. Zeke was dead, in fact he'd died here. Martha was dead. Ryan had been bitten here. I'd been bitten here. Sharpay had been bitten here. Gabriella learned her father was alive here. And yet, despite all the horrible and wonderful things that had happened here, it felt like it had last year, almost.

I dodged another putter. "Okay kids. That's it for today, time to go find your parents." I announced ten minutes early, but I didn't think Fulton would notice, and even if he did I didn't think he'd find it worth taking on the boyfriend of an Evans.

* * *

I met Ryan at the Evans's villa after work. I didn't really know why they found it necessary to maintain a second house when they only lived forty-five minutes away, but at least the villa wasn't as imposing as the mansion. I spent the first night there, much to Sharpay's feigned horror, but we felt compelled to return to my house each night for the rest of the week to check and see if anything had arrived from Arizona State for Jesse. Nothing did.

We held another planning meeting at my house that Saturday, three weeks before we'd decided to go. Sharpay had already arranged for the three of us that were working at Lava Springs to get the week of July Fourth off, and we were able to persuade Sharpay that there was no use in showing up before noon. None of them looked too happy when they arrived.

"What's going on guys?" I asked as they came in and sat down.

Ryan came in from the kitchen carrying a large bowl of cereal.

"We might have trouble." Joey said.

Sharpay nodded. "I tried to get in touch with that archaeologist again, but she's dead."

"What?" Ryan asked, taking a seat at my side.

"I found an article from a Mexican paper, most of her team is missing, but they found her body in the ruins."

"Do you guys think someone, well something else is after the tablet?" I asked.

Joey nodded. "Either that or she had a habit of digging in places where she shouldn't."

"Well, if that's all it is, then it's Meli's problem now. But if someone else knows about the tablet…" Sharpay said.

"Who could possibly know about it, Sis?" Ryan asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. How does the thing in the sewers? Maybe it and Meli aren't the only one's old enough to remember it."

I sighed. "Why can't things ever be easy?"

Ryan draped his arm around my shoulders and looked to Jesse. "What about the university, has anyone broken in?"

Jesse shook his head. "If they did, it didn't make the papers."

"I guess that's something." I said.

"So do we go sooner?" Jesse asked.

Ryan shook his head now. "No. It's getting too close to the full moon, there's no way we won't be found. We'll just have to hope that if someone is after the tablet, they'll have to worry about the local Oborotni too."

"Which either means that they don't, and the tablet will be long gone before we get there, or they do, and we'll be trying to break in at the same time." I said.

"I do have some good news though. I found a floor plan online, for helping new students find their classrooms, and it looks like everything is usually kept in that building, they have some labs and storage rooms in the basement."

"Usually?" Ryan asked.

"Unless they sent it to one of the engineering or science buildings for dating."

"And that means we could still go to all the trouble of breaking in and not find it." I said.

Jesse nodded. "It's a small chance. But it also means that if someone else is looking for it, they might have the same problem."

"Unless they found out where it was from the professor before they killed her." Joey said.

"Okay. So we need to get there as soon as possible, so we'll leave when you guys get off work that Friday, and then we need to watch our backs for whatever else might be looking for this stupid thing." Sharpay said. "Oh, and don't think this excuses any of you from doing the summer talent show." She paused and looked at Jesse. "Except for you, Jesse. Letting you near the stage would be like letting sock puppets back in."

Ryan stifled a laugh. Jesse looked relieved.

"And, I've found the perfect way to make sure the staff doesn't upstage me this year." Sharpay said with a wicked smiled.

I could already guess what it was, but some impulse drove me to ask anyway. "What?"

"You'll all be performing with me of course. We start rehearsing at the mansion tomorrow, eight in the morning, don't be late."

Joey and I both groaned. Ryan patted my back.

The next day was brutal. Sharpay had coerced Kelsi into writing something faster than her normal style, and Ryan had worked out some insane choreography for it. I didn't know how he expected me to do half the stuff he'd come up with, but somehow he managed to walk me through it all, even though I didn't remember half of it by the end of the day.

Sharpay was the real slave driver though, there were exactly two weeks until the night of the show, and she wanted everything to be perfect, or in her words, 'fabulous'. I was reminded of combat training with Jason's dad more than once.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22 **

The two weeks leading to the summer talent show went by fast. We practiced for hours every day, and spent every night looking for information on the tablet, or on the death of the archaeologist who'd found it. We didn't find either, but at least there were no reports of any robberies at the university either. The kids' golf games improved, by which I mean they were now usually able to keep the clubs in their hands, and one or two even showed some real promise.

Jason and Kelsi began helping us with our research, just because they weren't allowed to go with us, didn't mean they couldn't browse the internet for us. For her part, Gabriella spent most of her time in the library at the University of Albuquerque attempting to decipher the images we'd found in the nest, hoping that she'd find something to prevent us from needing to make a deal with the nasty thing that was now their only inhabitant.

"I just wish I knew what language it was in. Not that it would help that much, because I still can't tell if this alphabet is supposed to be pictographic or phonetic." Gabriella said one day after we'd finished practicing and the whole pack, well except for Kelsi's parents, had come to my house for another pointless planning session.

"What's the difference?" Sharpay asked.

Gabriella sighed.

Jesse cast a glare at Gabi, then turned to Sharpay. "A phonetic alphabet uses each symbol to represent a sound, like English. In a pictographic alphabet each symbol represents an entire word, like Chinese."

"Oh." Sharpay said.

"Well, it doesn't look like Russian." Kelsi said. "I don't think I'll be much help beyond that."

Gabriella nodded. "And I don't think its Zuni, or any of the other Native American and African languages I've tried, but there's a lot, and this one probably went extinct centuries ago."

"If humans ever used it." Jason added, trying to be helpful.

"Have you checked archaeological journals? Maybe some one else has seen it before." Ryan said.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Yes, but there's over a hundred years worth of those. The closest thing I've found is some handprints on rocks in Australia, but it's a pretty weak resemblance, and no one knows what those mean either."

It was easy to see that she was getting frustrated. "Look Gabriella, we all appreciate what you're trying to do, and as soon as we get back from Arizona we'll all pitch in and see if we can help you. We can at least start looking at the pictures in all those magazines for you, but right now we need to accept that you may not find anything, and we may have to deal with this thing." I said.

She sighed, but nodded. "I don't think it's a good idea, who knows what it'll do once it has the tablet, but I guess we may not have a choice."

"You make it sound like giving it the tablet is like giving it a nuke." Joey said.

Gabi looked at him. "Isn't it? Why does it want it? I don't think it's just interested in it for sentimental value."

"It's just a piece of rock, what could it do with it?" Jason asked.

"Who knows? That's the point. Listen," she faced Jason, "if you'd told me last summer that you were a werewolf I would've laughed in your face and told Kelsi to find a new boyfriend."

Jason blinked at her.

"There's things going on here that don't make any scientific sense. And if we're throwing all the accepted theories on biology and physics out the window, then I'm not willing to rule out that this tablet might be more than just a lump of rock with writing on it."

"What does physics have to do with it?" Sharpay asked.

Jesse looked from Gabriella to the mountain lion. "Conservation of mass is one of the fundamental rules of physics, or at least it was. Matter can neither be created nor destroyed, but somehow we gain a lot of weight really fast when we shift. Where does it come from?"

"From us eating like pigs at every opportunity?" Sharpay said.

"Okay, then where is it right now?" Jesse asked.

"Uh…" Sharpay looked confused.

"Exactly." Gabriella said with a nod.

"Great, you went and made her think. Now we're all doomed." Ryan said.

"Hey." Sharpay said, shooting a death glare at her brother. "Jesse, take a note, remind me to disembowel him at least once when we're in Arizona."

"No problem." Jesse said with a wink at Ryan.

* * *

The Midsummer Night Talent Show went off without a hitch that year. Sharpay had imposed more severe auditioning requirements, preventing such disasters as the sock puppet incident the preceding year, and time limits preventing anyone from tap-dancing for fifteen minutes straight. Our number was perfect, as it had to be if we didn't want her to start randomly gutting us, and she and Ryan won the Star Dazzle award again.

It wasn't until the day after that I realized what a good distraction the constant rehearsals had been. Now we were left with nothing to focus on but our impending robbery, and just how unprepared for it we were. The most we had was the layout of the building, which had still not been broken into, or at least it hadn't been reported if it had been. I hoped that at least the campus newspaper, which was available online, would've mentioned if it had been. We continued to try and find more, but spent each night looking at the same unchanged web pages.

We were having trouble finding out more about the dead archaeologist too. The university's paper had run a story, but beyond that and the original story, we couldn't find anything else. Gabriella tried searching some of the Mexican newspapers for us, but her Spanish was rusty, and they didn't seem to mention the incident again either, except for once a week after the murder, but that was just a notice that the police were still looking into it and had no suspects.

The last week of work passed without us making any more progress. Ryan and Sharpay's parents returned from the Bahamas, and although they were upset that there children wouldn't be around for the Fourth of July, Ryan and Sharpay were able to convince them that letting us go on a road trip was essential for their development as responsible adults. I'm still not sure how they did that; my parents never would've fallen for something like that.

Phoenix was eleven hours away by car, but we'd decided not to fly both because it would leave a record of us having been there, and if we did find the tablet, smuggling it onto a plane wasn't something any of us felt capable of. This left us with the problem of what to take there. As nice as our own cars were, they were too high profile, there was a chance that we'd need to make a quick getaway, and there was no way we wouldn't be recognized in those. The obvious answer seemed to be renting a car that would be big enough for all of us, but that still left us one problem, the license plates would be from New Mexico. We wouldn't be the only car with out of state plates, but it could cause two problems, first it'd still make us more recognizable, and second if the Phoenix packs were as bad as Kelsi's mom and dad said, it might be all the evidence they'd need to start something.

It was Joey who came up with an illegal, but necessary solution. We'd rent a minivan here in Albuquerque, drive to Arizona, and steal someone else's plates before we got near Phoenix, probably in Flagstaff. No one but Sharpay was comfortable with the idea, but given the choice between inconveniencing someone we didn't know, and getting caught, we all agreed. We packed our bags and Ryan rented the van Thursday night. I made sure to pack Dad's toolbox, and took some time practicing removing license plates on the minivan, my truck, and my car, to make sure I'd be quick when we needed it.

Ryan and Sharpay were already waiting in the parking lot when we got off work that day; I'd dismissed my kids early again to make sure I'd be on time. Ryan was in the driver's seat, and Sharpay scooted to the middle row to allow me to sit next to him, but forced Joey and Jesse to the crawl into the very back. Ryan drove for the first part, all the way to the state line, and then I took over until we reached Flagstaff. It was almost three in the morning and I was getting tired, but I hoped that the late hour would make stealing the plates from a car easier.

"Okay. We need to find somewhere without security cameras." Joey said from the far back.

"Nowhere public then. We need to find a quiet residential place." I said holding back a yawn.

"Not an apartment complex though. There's a university here too, and we don't want to get caught by some drunken college kids."

"Well, first we need to get gas. Pull over up here, Troy." Ryan said, eying the fuel gauge.

I nodded, and pulled into a Chevron. Ryan went inside to pay with cash; we decided not to use anything traceable while we were in the state, which also meant our cell phones were all turned off. We hoped we were just being paranoid, but we couldn't afford to take any chances. The pump turned on, and I filled the tank with regular unleaded. I wouldn't dream of using that in my baby, but I figured the cheap stuff was good enough for a rental.

I handed Joey the keys to the minivan. "I'm too tired to drive any more tonight. You're going to have to handle it from here."

He nodded, and woke the napping Jesse up, they moved into the front seat. The back seat looked very inviting, a nice big space Ryan and I could sprawl in, but Sharpay had the same idea, she moved to the back and pretended to fall asleep before I could even voice a protest. After leaving the gas station Ryan and I cuddled on the middle seat, while Joey drove around town in search of a plate we could steal.

"Hey, check it out." Joey called. I blinked my eyes, waking up from an all too short nap.

"What's up?" I mumbled passed a dry tongue. I looked at Ryan, but he was still sleeping.

"Look." Joey pointed through the windshield. I noticed that we were parked behind a minivan. "Same model, and look, it's even got a sticker from the same rental place."

I looked closer, and realized he was right.

"If anyone runs the plates, they'll think someone up here rented it, at least at first."

I nodded and looked around. It looked like we were in an alleyway behind some older houses. The minivan in question was parked in a garage, but the door hadn't been closed. "Kill the lights. Let me grab it."

Joey turned off the lights, and I grabbed a ratchet and flashlight from the toolbox I'd brought. I slid open the van's door, and hopped out. As fast as I could in my sleep deprived state I unbolted the plate and then put it in the place of our own, I kept pausing to look around, making sure I wasn't being watched, but the only thing that moved in the alleyway was a stray cat. I brought the New Mexico plate back into the van, and stashed it in the toolbox along with the ratchet and light.

"We're good. Get us out of here." I whispered to Joey. He nodded and started the van. We drove off, and he took a few winds and turns, attempting to dodge any invisible pursuit I guessed. I leaned my head on Ryan's shoulder and passed back into sleep, thinking just for a moment of how odd it was that I was leaving the two boys who'd once tried to kill us, the two we'd kept under lock and key for months, to drive us the rest of the way, with just the two of them awake.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 **

Sunlight was visible through my closed eyes when I felt someone shake my shoulder. I blinked my eyes open to see Jesse leaning over me through the open door. "Hey, we're here."

I yawned and sat up. We were parked in front of a Motel 6. Not exactly the five star hotel we'd stayed at in San Diego, but maybe they'd take cash. "Where's Joey?" I asked, looking around and seeing he and Sharpay missing.

"Joey and Sharpay are getting us rooms."

"Rooms?" I asked.

"You don't expect us to live with Sharpay for a week do you?" Jesse asked, his eyes crinkling at the thought. "Especially not when it's… uh… her time of the month if you catch my meaning."

I laughed and nodded, then used my finger to prod Ryan in the side until he woke up. "We're here." I said when he finally blinked his eyes open to glare at me. I turned my attention back to Jesse. "Where is here anyway?"

Jesse pulled out a large mapbook and pointed to an intersection, Ryan leaned over my shoulder to take a look. "We're about two miles from the campus. The anthropology building is here." He stabbed at another place on the page.

I nodded, and spotted Joey and Sharpay approaching. "We paid for the week, I don't think he'd ever seen that much cash before." Sharpay said when they were within earshot.

"Well, let's get to the room then. We need to get some sleep before we do anything." Ryan said from behind me.

Joey moved the van to a location closer to our rooms, and then we lugged everything upstairs. Once again Sharpay had packed far more than the rest of us combined. I groaned under the weight of one of her suitcases, wishing they'd gotten us rooms on the first floor instead. Ryan and I collapsed onto the bed in the room we were sharing with Joey and Jesse, not even bothering to take off our clothes, and fell back asleep as soon as we were done.

* * *

I awoke to Sharpay's distinctive knock on our room's door, and rolled over to look at the clock, it was almost one in the afternoon. Ryan groaned and pulled a pillow over his head. Jesse got up from his and Joey's bed and stumbled to the door, unlatching the feeble chain when he reached it. He opened the door, and Sharpay swept into the room.

"Up and at it boys. We've only got a week."

"Is the building even open on Saturdays?" I asked.

Jesse nodded, sitting down at the foot of his bed. "Yeah, they have students in there doing research. Tomorrow is the only day we might have trouble."

"Okay. Give us a few minutes to shower, Sharpay, then we'll head over to the campus." I said, turning to pull Ryan into an upright position.

"Fine, but make sure that's all you do." She said and whisked out of the room.

Joey and Jesse took a quick shower first, followed by Ryan and I. It was hard to keep my hands off of his wet body, but knowing that we had a nearby audience gave me just enough self control to resist stealing more than a kiss or two. We all dressed in simple clothes. I convinced Ryan to leave his trademark hats in his luggage, as much I loved them, we couldn't afford doing anything to attract too much attention.

He reached the campus of Arizona State University at two, and parked the minivan in a small lot behind the anthropology and nursing buildings. Jesse and Joey went inside to start looking around; hoping that we'd get lucky and it would be on display, while Ryan, Sharpay, and I staked out the entrances. Our plan was to follow anyone we saw leaving the building, hoping that if things were being kept anywhere else, they might lead us to them.

I trailed two-dozen students, but they all went to either a parking lot, a dorm, or the student union for food. Ryan and Sharpay had the same luck. I felt awkward and out of place walking around the campus. I'd gotten used to being one of the oldest kids at school, but here I was barely old enough to be a freshman, and everyone I was following looked like a grad student. It didn't make me look forward to starting at University of Albuquerque. After four years at East High, I was going to have to start all over again at the bottom of the social ladder.

We gave up for the day at five, and went into the building to find the two boys. I glanced at the stuff on display, nothing very old, mostly just maps and pictures; I didn't think we were going to find it too easily. We found them sitting on a bench in the buildings basement.

"Any luck?" Ryan asked.

Joey shook his head. "It's not in any of the display cases or classrooms. We've been hanging out down here trying to get a look in the labs when people go in or out."

"Real subtle guys." Sharpay said.

"Come on, let's go grab some dinner. We haven't eaten yet today and I'm starving." I said.

"What else is new?" Ryan asked with a laugh.

We exited the back of the building and went to the minivan, there was a parking ticket stuck to the windshield. I snagged it and looked at it with a frown. "Apparently we don't have the right decal for this lot."

"Well there goes all hope of subtlety." Sharpay said, glaring at the piece of paper in my hand.

"At least we switched plates." Joey said, sliding open the van's door and then tossing me the keys. I caught them and opened the driver's side door, and then the passenger door for Ryan.

"So where are we going?" Jesse asked.

"I have no idea. I figured I'd just pick a direction and drive until we found something." I pulled out of the parking space, and drove off campus took a right turn onto the main road. There were a million traffic lights and tiny streets around the university. The rest of the city was laid out on a nice grid, but driving near the campus made me feel like I was back in San Diego. I took another right turn at the next major intersection; at least it looked like a major intersection, and then turned left onto an angled street with some train tracks running down the middle of it. I drove past some tall dorm buildings and several run down apartment complexes. I took another left turn over the train tracks, and then a right onto a small street.

"Wait. Turn around." Jesse called from the backseat.

"What?"

"Back there, I saw a café."

I pulled a U turn on the street, and looked off to the right in the direction Jesse had pointed. There was a sign on the building that read Café Istanbul, my eyes were drawn to the image painted in the window, a water pipe. I smiled and pulled into the parking lot.

"Oh my God. You have got to be kidding me?" Sharpay said, glaring at the window. There were some tables sitting outside the small restaurant, and a group of Arabic men were sharing a hookah at one.

I turned off the van, and Ryan opened his door. "Ah, all the comforts of home."

"We are not eating here." Sharpay said, refusing to move.

"Maybe you aren't, but we are." Joey said, climbing past her on his way out of the backseat and sliding the door open.

Sharpay huffed, but joined us outside of the van.

"It's too bad Jason and Kelsi couldn't come. We really need to introduce them to this." Jesse said.

"Ugh. There is no way Kelsi would be interested in something so disgusting." Sharpay said.

"You really should give it a try before you rule it out." Ryan said to his twin as we approached the building. I held the door open for him, and Sharpay breezed into the room before him. I rolled my eyes, and followed my handsome boyfriend into the well lit room.

We took a seat at a table, and a waitress came over and handed us menus.

"How much are the hookah's?" Joey asked, noticing that it wasn't listed on the menu.

"Seven ninety-nine." The waitress answered before taking our drink orders. Sharpay ordered an iced tea, and Ryan a Diet Pepsi. The rest of us got lemonade.

"So, uh, do any of you know what any of this food is?" I asked, looking at the words on the menu but not understanding any of them.

Ryan nodded. "You want the gyro sandwich, trust me."

My stomach growled. "I think I might want two then."

"You're going to get fat on me Bolton." Ryan laughed.

"Yeah, as if." I said, setting my menu down.

The waitress returned with the drinks and took our orders. They didn't take very long in arriving. Ryan had called it a sandwich, and so had the menu, but it was really more of a pita wrap. I shrugged and bit into it, and this point I was hungry enough to eat raw elk again. It was pretty good, although I couldn't identify any of the spices in the sauce.

"What type of meat is this?" I asked.

"It should be beef and lamb, but this tastes a little heavy on the beef." Ryan answered.

I nodded, and scarfed down the rest of the first sandwich, enjoying the feeling of food filling my stomach. I eyed the second one, and started in on it. Ryan rolled his eyes as he completed his sandwich, and then ordered a plate of fries.

"Now who's going to get fat?" I mumbled through the meat filling my mouth.

Ryan cuffed the back of my head.

"Ow. What?"

Joey, Jesse, and Sharpay all laughed. Ryan shot me an evil glare.

"Hey, look." Jesse said, pointing behind me.

I turned around to see a short glass topped wall separating the café from what looked like a small market. I spotted what Jesse was pointing at; there was a row of hookahs in different shapes and sizes.

"They sell them."

"Great. Now I'll never be free of them." Sharpay said.

Joey and Jesse laughed; Ryan attempted to give her a sympathetic look. "I promise we won't smoke at the house."

"Damn right you won't." Sharpay said.

We ordered a pair of hookahs to smoke, one mint and the other double apple/cinnamon. For her part Sharpay spent the time glaring at each of us as we passed the two hoses around the table. The heads were a lot smaller then the ones we were used to at the coffee shop back home, but they seemed to last just as long. The flavor was strong and clean, and a waiter came by to adjust the coals frequently. The mint was good as always, and the apple/cinnamon wasn't bad, but it was even more like smoking applesauce then the double apple alone had been.

After paying the bill, we wandered past the little wall to investigate the market. They had a pretty big selection of hookahs, some big, some little, most with one hose, but some with two or three. They also had an entire aisle of hookah supplies, lots of different types of coals, and every flavor of tobacco imaginable, ranging from the simple, like honey, to the exotic, like pomegranate and Lebanese cedar.

"Seriously?" Joey asked, holding up a box of the cedar. "Who would want to smoke a tree?"

"You got me man." I said with a shrug.

Ryan bought a two hose hookah and several flavors, along with a box of instant light coals. It came in a nice hard case, and we carried it out to the van before returning to our hotel.

"Do you think we have a smoking room?" Jesse asked.

"No. But I don't think they'll catch us." Joey said.

I could almost hear Sharpay roll her eyes.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24 **

We returned to our room, and Ryan began unwrapping and setting up his new toy. Jesse and Joey watched him with interest, while Sharpay glared from a chair by the door. "As soon as you light that thing I'm out of here."

"Hurry up and start it." Joey said, casting a smirk in Sharpay's direction.

"I swear; I'm going to have to gut all you before this trip is over." Sharpay said, holding up one finger and turning it into a feline claw.

Joey looked away; I guessed he was jealous of the degree of control the rest of us had all developed. Even Jesse was well on track to getting complete control of his form, but June's full moon had come and gone without Joey succeeding even once in resisting it. He really was psyching himself out too much.

Ryan looked up from the small booklet of instructions that came with the hookah. "Don't worry. I won't start it until we've had our little planning session, Sis."

"You'd better not." She said, pointing at him with her claw.

"So. Do we try to scout tomorrow, or just right it off?" I asked.

"The building will be closed, so unless we manage to tail a grad student in, we're not going to be able to get in." Joey said.

"Well, at least we were able to rule out some places today." Jesse said. "It's not in any of the public rooms, so it's got to be in a professor's office, a storage room, or a lab. Oh. And we did find the office of the professor who got killed, we might want to start there when we move, maybe she'll have pictures of it, or something showing where all the artifacts from that dig are being kept. Maybe we'll even get lucky and it'll just be in there."

Ryan nodded, opening the box of mint tobacco and pulling out a round plastic container. "Good idea. I didn't even think that they might have a record of where they kept stuff, but I guess they'd have to." He unwrapped the plastic container and opened it, finding a plastic bag inside. "How much wrapping do they put on this stuff?"

"Not enough." Sharpay said with a smile. "So, if we aren't scouting around campus tomorrow, what are we going to do?"

"Lay low." I said. "We can't afford for anyone to see us, or worse to wind up in a picture on someone's MySpace."

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "All that smoking is making you paranoid."

"No, the fact that there's at least one werewolf here who knows what Ryan and I look like, and who doesn't have any issue with killing every Oborotni back home is making me paranoid."

Sharpay sighed. "You know what. I miss the days when you and Gabriella beating Ryan and I was the biggest problem I had."

"Me too." Ryan said, finally getting the bag open and emptying the molasses soaked tobacco into the plastic container. "Eww." He stood up and went to wash the sticky gunk from his hands.

"Here, let me do it." Jesse said before standing and taking the container from where Ryan had left it. "I read all about how to do this on Wikipedia."

Ryan let Jesse have at it, and launched himself into the vacant spot on our bed. I grabbed his hand and held it up to my nose. "You smell like mint." I said with a wink.

He smiled back at me. "Why, Troy Bolton, does that give you nasty thoughts?"

"Everything you do gives me nasty thoughts."

"Get a room you two." Sharpay said.

"We did, you're in it." Ryan said.

"Hmm… I don't suppose you thought to buy a lighter?" Jesse asked, looking at Ryan and holding up a roll of the instant light coals.

Ryan shook his head. "Do we need one?"

"Yeah. Joey, let's walk down to the Circle K on the corner and buy one."

"Ooh… I'm coming with you. If I'm going to be spending a whole day cooped up in my room I'm going to need chocolate." Sharpay said, standing up and grabbing her purse from the floor.

"We're not going to be gone that long. So be fast, or don't do anything." Joey said, looking from me to Ryan.

I looked at Ryan as the door closed behind them. "How fast do you think we can be?"

"Fast enough." He said with a wink.

* * *

It seemed like almost no time had passed before we heard Sharpay's distinct knock on the room's door. Ryan pulled his pants back up and I pulled my shirt back on. "Come in." I yelled to the door.

We heard a key in the lock, and Joey and Jesse came in, followed by Sharpay. She tossed an object at Ryan, and he caught it. "I'm not staying, but I knew you'd want that."

I looked at what he was holding, a dark chocolate candy bar. Ryan eyed it with obvious hunger. "Thanks, Sharpay."

"No problem, Ry. Enjoy poisoning yourselves." Sharpay said as she blew out the door, closing it behind her.

We watched some movies on the motel's limited cable, and attempted smoking the new hookah. It took a few experimental bowls and almost half the mint for Jesse to figure out how to do it properly. We also had to adjust to using the two-hosed hookah, if someone wasn't smoking from one of the hoses, they had to cover it with a finger, or else the other hose wouldn't get enough suction to pull the steam down from the bowl. All-in-all, and hookah experimentation aside it was a pretty boring evening.

The next day wasn't any better. We ordered a few pizzas, and didn't bother smoking the hookah, but spent the day watching television. It was mind numbing, and annoying to be this close to our goal and unable to do anything about it, at least for the time being.

We went to bed early Sunday night, and made it to the campus at eight the next morning. Ryan and I went inside this time, leaving Sharpay, Joey, and Jesse to follow the grad students for the day. We started at the office of the dead professor, I even tried the door, but it was locked, and I couldn't see much of anything through the small window. We rechecked the displays and classrooms then, not that we didn't trust the other two boys, but we felt the need to verify everything with our own eyes. We did our best not to look suspicious, but that was a little difficult when we were in fact casing the place.

We wandered out of the building a few times to the literature building across the mall, just so that it didn't look like we were loitering as much as we were. There were a lot more students in and out of the building, it looked like the first summer term was ending just after the Fourth of July, and so there were plenty of people cramming. That was good for our cover. We both looked a little too young to be there though, and we attracted a few unwelcome looks as we searched every hallway in the building.

At one point when a large class had been dismissed, I noticed a guy with spiky green hair and baggy shorts giving Ryan a long look. At first I thought maybe we were in trouble, then his eyes widened and drifted down when Ryan turned around and I realized he was checking Ryan out. I resisted the urge to grab Ryan and wrap him in an embrace, which would be too memorable, we were taking a big risk as it was, and people were way more likely to remember two gay guys than just two guys.

We split up a few times, and snuck into the bathroom for a quick kiss and to switch shirts. We were doing anything we could think of to not stick out in people's minds. It was harder than I'd expected. In our own ways Ryan and I had both lived our lives up until then trying to stand out, and now we had to be unnoticeable. I found myself wishing Kelsi was with us, she had a real way of blending into a crowd.

We risked being seen together as a group at lunch. We ate in the basement of their student union, in a dark corner by a loud arcade and a small bowling alley.

"Does U of A have anything like this?" Joey asked, looking at the various amusements surrounding us.

Ryan shrugged. "I have no idea. If they don't I might have to see if Father can buy some for them."

"Ryan." Sharpay said.

"What? You don't like the idea of the Evans Memorial Bowling Alley?"

She sighed and then shoved some fries into her mouth.

"So, did you guys find anything?" I asked.

Jesse shook his head. "Nope. None of the grad students went to any of the other buildings for anything except teaching a class. Looks like it has to be in there, somewhere."

Ryan nodded. "And that professor's office is our best bet of finding where. I wish we had a way to get in before hand."

"So do I. If only Jason was here. I bet he knows how to pick locks." I said.

Ryan nodded again. "Probably. He certainly seems to be good with every other aspect of being a juvenile delinquent."

"Including getting liquor." Joey said with a smile.

"No drinking until you can make it one full moon without changing." Jesse said.

Joey cuffed the back of Jesse's head.

"Ow. What?"

Ryan laughed. "Maybe we should try an incentive program. The normal ways aren't working."

"I'd offer to withhold sex, but I don't see why I should be punished too." Jesse said with a nod.

Ryan blushed. Sharpay and I laughed.

When she finished laughing, Sharpay leaned in and whispered, not that she needed to, we were alone. "We should probably avoid the anthropology building for the rest of the day. I noticed the same guards driving by in their golf carts a few times. I think at least one noticed me, and while he was kind of cute, I don't think that's good for us."

I nodded.

"Fine, maybe we should try the library anyhow. They're supposed to have an extensive collection of Native American works, maybe we can find out something else useful." Ryan said.

We all nodded in agreement, and headed to the large building after lunch. The library entrance led us underground, and then under a mall into the building itself. Arizona State had more than one library, but this was the main one, it was at least the size of East High, if not bigger. We didn't find much of any relevance though, for starters only Jesse had any idea how to use their system, and even he was getting confused by the way sections would jump between floors. There was a section dedicated to Native American materials on one of the floors, but you needed to have a student ID to even look at anything in it.

After wasting about three hours we decided to risk the anthropology building again. This time Sharpay and Jesse went in, while the rest of us just tried to look inconspicuous sitting in front of the English building.

"I wish there was a service you could hire to do stuff like this." Ryan said after we watched another sorority bimbo walk by and check me out.

"What stuff?" Joey asked.

"Robbery. I don't think I'm cut out for this."

"None of us are, Ry. But it'll work out. We're all in this together, right?" I said.

He arched an eyebrow and looked at me. "I see you've inherited your father's skill in reusing the same cliché."

I shot him a glare, and then laughed. "Damn it. I was trying so hard not to turn into him too."

Ryan looked around and gave me a quick pat on the back. "There's worse people you could turn into."

"I don't get it?" Joey said, looking from me to Ryan.

"With luck you'll get to spend some time with my parents one day. Then you'll understand." I said and Ryan nodded in agreement.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25 **

Sharpay and Jesse rejoined us about an hour after that, and we walked across campus to the large lot used by most of the student body, we weren't really supposed to park there without a decal either, but we were hoping we wouldn't get another ticket.

"Let me tell you, that whole picking a lock with a hair pin thing doesn't work." Sharpay said once we got in the van.

"Shar, you didn't?" Ryan said from the driver's seat.

"She did." Jesse said from the back.

"Did anyone see you?" Joey asked.

"Please. Give me a little credit." Sharpay said.

"Sharpay, what if there was an alarm system?" I asked.

"Not on the interior doors. They don't seem that paranoid. And I'd like to think that after supervising the installation of one for their cage," she pointed to the back seat, "I'd at least recognize that much."

"I hope you're right, Sis." Ryan said, turning to drive out of the parking lot. "So what are we doing for dinner?"

"Café?" Jesse asked, perking up.

"Ugh. No. Not again. Find somewhere else." Sharpay said. "And not pizza either."

"Fine. We'll just go through a drive-thru and then back to the hotel. Does that suit you?" Ryan said.

"Whatever, Ry." Sharpay said with a glare at the back of his head. We pulled through a Taco Bell and then headed back to the hotel. "So, fearless leader, when do we move?"

Ryan shrugged. "Don't you think we should scout around some more first?"

"We've been over all the public areas, and I think we've all attracted too much attention already. Well, except Jesse, are you sure you're not a were-mouse?" She asked turning from Ryan to the boy seated behind her.

"Pretty sure, yeah."

"So, do any of you think that spending more time scouting will help at all?" Ryan asked.

"Not unless we get lucky and someone goes into that office or they just happen to move it right in front of us. Not that we'd even recognize it for sure." I said.

Ryan nodded. "Okay. Well tonight would be too obvious, and I think tomorrow will be too. Our best bet is going to be to hide in a bathroom or something until after they close the building for the night."

"What about the Fourth of July though? Everyone will be distracted." Jesse said.

"Yeah, but we'd have to break into the building." Ryan said.

"Unless we could steal a key." Joey said.

"My performance as the Artful Dodger not withstanding, I'm not a pickpocket. Are any of you?" Ryan asked.

"Well, no." Joey said.

"Then unless you're suggesting that we jump someone with a key, I don't see how that's going to work."

"We could, you know." Sharpay said.

"No. First, we're not beating someone up. Second, it'd attract too much attention when they woke up and went to the police. What do we do if the person we jump gets a look at us? And so help me if you suggest killing him I'm disowning you." Ryan said, pulling the van into the motel's parking lot.

"What if we drugged them?" Jesse asked.

"Do you have any drugs?" I asked him.

He shook his head.

"Do you know where we can get some?" I asked.

He shook his head again.

"If it's a guy I could just try flirting with him and getting him drunk." Sharpay said.

"No, he'd still remember you." Ryan said.

"What if I died my hair?"

"No, Sharpay." Ryan said with finality.

Sharpay huffed and stormed up to her room with her bag of food, slamming the door behind her.

"Does she practice that too?" I asked.

"That depends; do you count our childhood as practice?" Ryan said with a grin. "Okay, so here's what we're going to do. We're going to lay low until Thursday, then we'll sneak into the building before it closes, and wait until it's clear. Then we'll hit the professor's office, hope that we find something useful, and then start looking for the tablet. Also, it's the night of the new moon, so Sharpay will be at her most useful. Sound good?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good. We'll let Sharpay know later."

"So, should we try the plum tonight, or stick with mint?" Jesse asked, holding up both containers of tobacco.

"Don't look at me. I've made enough decisions for one day." Ryan said.

"Let's try the plum I guess, but I'm not sure how I feel about smoking something that turns into prunes." Joey said with a slight look of disgust on his face.

I looked from Joey to Jesse. "Yeah. What he said."

Jesse nodded and began the process of unwrapping the untried tobacco. "They really do seal this stuff, don't they." He mumbled while cutting into the second internal bag."

Ryan nodded. "At least we know no one's tampered with it."

When Jesse got the hookah setup, Joey's and my worst fears were realized. It did taste like smoking prunes. To my horror Ryan seemed to like it though.

* * *

We passed the next few days in boredom. At least scouting around campus had given us something to do, now we had nothing to keep us occupied but a handful of cable stations and summer reruns. Worse, Joey insisted on making us watch _So You Think You Can Dance_, citing it as his favorite show.

"How can you like this?" I asked.

"How can you not? Look at it, all those moves, the brutal judges, it's like American Idol but a thousand times sexier."

"Wait, didn't you say you auditioned for it once?" Sharpay asked, Joey had insisted we not smoke when the show was on so he wouldn't be distracted and so that Sharpay could enjoy the show with us.

Joey blushed and looked at the floor. "Uh, yeah. Last season."

"You didn't make it?" Ryan asked.

"Nigel said I didn't dance enough like a guy."

"That's bullshit. You're a great dancer." I said.

Ryan placed a possessive arm around my shoulders. "Hey now. No complimenting the competition."

I rolled my eyes and gave him a pet on the cheek. "You know you're the only man for me."

"So why do you still watch it?" Sharpay asked.

"Well, I was thinking of trying out again. This year was kind of out, but there's always next year." Joey said looking at the screen again.

We had to steal his cell phone to make sure he didn't try to vote. What was worse, we had to miss the results show; it was on Thursday night after the anthropology building was already closed. Joey groaned the whole time about how much he hated to miss it.

"Worst werewolf hunter, ever." Ryan said as we were looking for good hiding places.

"Yeah, yeah. Now I'm campaigning for gayest werewolf ever." Joey said with a look that seemed halfway between a smile and a glare.

"Please. I've had you beaten for that since the moment I was bit." Ryan said leading us up the stairs.

"So where are we going to wait? Bathrooms?" Sharpay asked.

"I don't think that's a good idea. They'll check those. Not that what I'm thinking of is a good idea either." I looked around and found that we were standing in front of the dead professor's door. "Sharpay, do you think you can break this open without making it look like it's been broken?"

She shrugged. "I can try."

We all turned and looked up and down the empty hallway. There was a night school class in session, but the building was otherwise empty. I watched as the muscles in her arm swelled in size and she grasped the doorknob. It turned with ease, I didn't even hear anything break. She gasped and released it. "Uh, it's unlocked." She said.

"What?" Ryan said, turning from the hallway to his twin.

"You heard me." She turned the knob again and opened the door.

We all went in and looked around, it looked like the small office had been ransacked. Jesse closed the door behind us, being careful not to let it make any sound.

"Shit." I said.

Ryan nodded.

Sharpay sniffed the air. "A Nagual has been here. Recently."

"How recently." Ryan asked.

She took a deep sniff. "Yesterday at the latest, but I think sometime today." She sniffed again. "And it was a man. He smells cute."

Ryan sighed. "Great. Jesse, keep watch, everyone else start looking and stay quiet; let's hope it didn't find what we're looking for."

I went to the desk, the drawers were all hanging half open, and it looked like one had been turned upside down. "Weird. They went to all the trouble of picking the lock, but left this place a mess."

I started looking through the scattered papers for any mention of the dig at Lava Springs.

"Someone's coming." Jesse hissed from a crouched position by the door, and we all scattered to places that couldn't be seen from the window. Ryan joined me beneath the desk, while Joey and Sharpay pressed against the wall.

We heard footsteps pass in the corridor, they didn't stop but just walked by. When I couldn't hear them anymore I let a small sigh escape my lips.

"Okay, it's clear." Jesse said.

"Lock the door." Ryan told him.

Jesse nodded, and turned the lock, then gave the knob a slow turn to verify that it was locked and nodded at us.

Ryan powered on the dead archaeologist's computer. "Great, password protected."

"See if you can guess it." I suggested while looking over another sheet of paper. It looked like some sort of expense report; I noticed tickets to Mexico on the list and discarded it.

"Hey, look at this." Joey said, handing some papers to Ryan.

Ryan flipped through it. "What is it?"

"I think it's an article she was writing about the dig. Look at the last page, there's a picture of the tablet."

Ryan turned to the last page and whistled. "That looks big."

I took it from his hands and looked at it. The picture was in black and white, and then printed out on a crappy printer, but I could just make out some familiar looking squiggles on the dark object. If the scale on the picture was right, the thing had to be at least 3 feet tall. "Ouch. Feeling buff Sharpay?"

"You know it, _Teen Wolf_."

I looked at the picture again, and noticed that there was a number next to it. I scanned the text looking for the number, and found it. "Uh, guys. You might want to listen to this."

"What?" Ryan said looking down at where I was still sitting on the ground.

I held it up and read the section I'd found. "The most curious object at the site was a chiseled metallic tablet bearing pictographs of a distinctly older style to those found elsewhere in the dig. How the tablet came to be there remains a mystery as it masses approximately four-hundred kilograms. Preliminary analysis suggests the material is meteoric iron."

"Four-hundred kilograms? That's like nine-hundred pounds." Jesse said.

"Okay. I don't know if I'm feeling that buff." Sharpay said with her eyes wide.

"Someone's coming." Jesse said, and we all resumed our hiding places. This time whoever it was stopped to jiggle the knob before continuing on.

"Why'd he check the door?" I asked.

"Probably security closing down the building." Jesse said.

"Which means that whoever broke in here, definitely did it today or the guard would've found it last night." Ryan said.

"Unless he forgot to check this door last night, or it's a different guard." Joey said.

"You just can't let me sound like I know what I'm doing, can you?" Ryan asked.

"Not if I can help it." Joey said with a smile.

"Jesse, good news, you're getting promoted from Omega." Ryan said with a smirk.

Jesse did a silent fist pump while mouthing the word, 'Yes.'

Joey shot them both a glare.

"Omega?" Sharpay asked.

"Wolf thing, don't ask." I said.

She nodded and resumed looking.

We spent about half an hour going through everything in the office before Sharpay found what we were looking for, at least we hoped it was. "Guys. I think I found it." We all turned to look at her, she was holding up a small book. "It lists a bunch of things and then has numbers written in the margin." She held it up so we could see. "They look like room numbers."

Ryan leaned in and looked at it. "Iron Tablet, date unknown, 36." He turned to look at Jesse. "Is there a room 36?"

Jesse pulled a print out of the building's map from his pocket and looked at it. "Yeah, it's in the basement."

Ryan nodded and looked out the window at the empty night sky; no stars were visible through the city's glow. "Do you think we've waited long enough?"

"Let's give it a little longer." I said looking through the window and into the small parking lot. "There's still some other cars down there, let's wait for some of them to leave." I noticed something flapping on our windshield and sighed. "And we got another ticket."

"Okay. Let's see if we can figure out if anything is missing. Maybe we can find out what the Nagual was here for." Ryan said and we resumed searching, except for Jesse who kept his ear pushed to the door.

"You know what. I think we're looking at this the wrong way. We need to look for what's missing, not what's still here." I said.

"How would we know what's missing, Troy?" Sharpay asked.

"Well, except for this expense report." I held up the document I'd found earlier. "Has anyone found anything mentioning why she was going to Mexico?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"He's right." Ryan said. "The Nagual must've been here because of what happened to her."

"Trying to cover something up?" Joey asked.

"I… have no idea." Ryan said.

"He missed one thing though." Jesse said, pointing to the computer.

"Yeah, fat lot of good it does us." Ryan said glaring at the keyboard.

"Not right now. But maybe later." Jesse said.

"We can't just slip it under our shirts and walk out with it." Joey said. "We're going to have our arms full with the tablet."

"We don't need the whole thing. Sharpay, take over here." Jesse said, standing up and approaching the desk. He unplugged all the cables from the back of the computer and grabbed a bronze letter opener from the desk.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Getting the hard disk." Jesse said as he fumbled with one of the screws.

Sharpay kept her ear to the door, and when Jesse had retrieved the computer's hard drive and shoved the bulky thing into a pocket Ryan decided it was time for us to go. We locked the door behind us, hoping that it would keep security from discovering the pair of break-ins for a while and then we crept downstairs.

"Shit." Ryan said. "What if there's security cameras?"

"There aren't I checked. And you're just now thinking of that?" Jesse said.

"Hey, it's my first burglary, cut me some slack."

"Well there aren't. We can thank the university's lack of funding for the practical sciences for that." Jesse said as we continued into the basement.

Sharpay grabbed the door knob to room thirty-six, and this time I did here the lock's mechanism break as she turned it and forced the door open. We went in, and shut the door behind us. There were lots of wrapped things in the room, but we were able to ignore all the smaller things and crates. We found it without too much trouble, but none of us were able to budge it.

Sharpay sighed and handed her purse to Ryan. "What would you boys do without me?"

"Be possessed by an evil god?" Jesse asked.

Joey, Ryan, and I all tossed glares in his direction, then looked back to Sharpay who was already gaining in height. She reached down and grabbed the wrapped thing, several of the bubbles in its bubble wrap popping as her claws sank into them. She heaved, and moved it maybe a foot. She grunted, and her muscles grew even thicker, ripping through her top. She heaved again, and lifted it maybe an inch off the ground before it fell to the ground with a muffled clang.

"Careful with that, Sharpay." I said.

She turned and glared at me through brown cat's-eyes.

"Joey, go bring the van around to the back entrance. Jesse, you've changed during the new moon before, think you can do it again?"

"Uh, no?" Jesse said.

"Wrong answer." Ryan said. "Sharpay's going to need your help with it. Try thinking of hyenas or something."

"Uh, I'd rather not."

"Look man, it's hyenas now, or evil god later. Take your pick." I said.

Jesse sighed and closed his eyes.

"Troy, go with Joey and be lookout." Ryan said.

I nodded, and followed Joey out the door, closing it behind us.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26 **

I stood just outside the back door, holding it open, and watched as Joey attempted to be stealthy on his way to the van. He started it up, and the headlights turned on. He turned the automatic headlights off, but I was afraid they may already have attracted someone's attention. He backed it up to the door, and then got out, leaving the engine running.

"Well, well. If it isn't two of my favorite dogs." Came a deep voice from above us.

Joey jumped, I managed not to and looked up. I saw the parking lot's lights reflect off of cat's-eyes. The figure dropped to the ground in front of me, landing on all fours like a cat and looked up at me. It took me a second to place his face, his elongated teeth didn't help, it was the Nagual Sharpay had met on Spring Break, Paul, great. I'd thought we were being too lucky.

"Two little werewolves, and a new moon. What's a Nagual to do?" He asked with a smirk, made nastier by his half-jaguar features.

"I don't suppose forget you saw us and leave is on the list?" I asked.

He made a sound half way between a laugh and a growl. "No. I don't think so."

I heard a dull clang echo from the hall behind me, and turned just enough to see two hulking figures struggling with the tablet.

"Oh good, the whole gangs here, and you're delivering my prize, how thoughtful of you." Paul said with a sneer.

I heard another clang, Sharpay had dropped her end of the tablet and was now facing us.

"You're prize?" I asked.

"I've gone to a lot of trouble to find that. Now how about you just load it in this van for me? Maybe I'll even let the Nagual live if you cooperate."

A throaty growl came from just behind me, I glanced back to see Sharpay standing erect, half-way between jaguar and human. Jesse and Ryan were nowhere to be seen. Sharpay took a step past me, and Paul moved faster than I could see, at least at that moment. In an instant he was behind Joey, with this claws held to the boy's throat.

"Uh uh, angel. I'd hate to get this party started too soon."

Sharpay fell back a step, her eyes darting from Paul, to Joey, and then back to Paul.

"Maybe we can work this out." I said.

"Yes, we can. You lot load the tablet in your van here. Give me the keys, then I kill all of you but her, and I leave happy." Paul said, his claws drawing blood from Joey's throat.

Joey gasped in pain.

I realized then one thing we'd neglected. Joey and Jesse could've used some combat training, the rest of us had gotten used to ignoring pain, but they weren't. If Joey'd been through the boot camp that Jason's dad had put us through, he might have been able to break free from Paul without risking his head.

"Look. If you hurt him, there's nothing to stop her from hurting you. You're outnumbered. If you just turn around and leave, we'll forget this whole thing." I said, trying to sound more confident than I was.

Paul laughed. "Trust me, dog-boy, I'm more than a match for all five of you. Or should I say four." His claws sunk a bit deeper into Joey's neck, and a rivulet of blood began flowing towards his collar.

A large figure dropped behind him, its fist landing on Paul's head as it landed. Paul went wall-eyed for a moment and was pulled to the ground. Joey pulled free of his grasp and raced behind Sharpay. Sharpay lunged for Paul, bringing her teeth to his throat. He rolled from the grasp of the thing on the ground, which I hoped was Jesse as I noticed that it looked half-hyena, and out of Sharpay's grasp.

He flipped away from us, and landed on his feet several yards away. The guy was like some sort of gymnast from Hell. His eyes shot from me, to Sharpay, to Jesse. "Bouda?" He said.

Sharpay propelled herself over Jesse and landed on top of Paul, her claws ripping through his shirt and into his chest. Jesse stood up, shaking his head, and spun to face the brawl. Paul forced Sharpay off of him, and Jesse pounced, sinking his teeth into Paul's neck. Paul's features grew more bestial as I watched, his shirt and pants ripped open, and he rolled backwards, throwing Jesse off of him, though Jesse still held a large chunk of flesh in his jaws. Sharpay rushed in again, her head low, catching Paul in the solar plexus with her shoulder, knocking him backwards over the still prone Jesse.

Paul rolled to his feet, it was obvious that he was a lot better at combat than any of us, but I hoped that Jesse and Sharpay would be able to chase him away. He raised something that had been dangling on a chain under his now destroyed shirt to his lips, and blew. I didn't hear anything, but Sharpay and Jesse both clutched at their ears. Paul blew the strange whistle again, and then again. They seemed to have adjusted to the sound by the third blow, and Jesse ripped the whistle, along with most of Paul's hand away, both fell to the ground. Sharpay lunged for the other Nagual, but a dark figure I hadn't seen dove out of the sky at her back, forcing her to the ground.

The black thing stood to its full height on Sharpay's back. I couldn't get a clear look at it, but its silhouette looked like a cross between a bat and a giant praying mantis. It grabbed Paul, and spread gigantic bat-like wings. It flapped once and was airborne with the Nagual in its grasp. Jesse attempted to give chase, but the thing was too fast and vanished behind the rooftops.

"Jesse." I called as loudly as I dared. "Come back, you'll be seen." I hoped his hearing was good enough to hear me. It seemed it was as he froze and loped back. I spotted Ryan watching from an upstairs window, from which I guessed Jesse had jumped into the fight.

"Sharpay, Jesse. Load the tablet. Troy, clean up and get that whistle." Ryan called, pointing in the direction of Paul's mangled hand.

I went to the nearby trash can, and ripped open a plastic, bag, dumping its loose contents into the bin. Then I took it and wrapped both the partial hand and whistle in the plastic. I also found the bit of Paul's throat Jesse had taken and wrapped it up too.

Joey opened the back of the minivan, and folded down the backseat. Sharpay and Jesse slid the bubble wrapped tablet into the available space, and climbed in on top of it. I shoved the plastic under the driver's seat and climbed in. Ryan came running out of the building as Joey slammed the back shut, and both climbed in.

"Go." Ryan said, slamming the passenger's side door.

I pulled out of the lot, and didn't turn the lights on until we were on the street.

"What the fuck was that?" Sharpay's voice echoed from the back.

Ryan turned around in his seat to look at her. "I don't know, Shar." He then turned his attention to me. "Drive around a little, then head to the hotel. We need to grab our stuff and get out of here."

I nodded, and began making a random series of turns away from the campus, before turning onto the freeway and getting off on the street nearest our motel. Sharpay crawled out of the back and onto the middle seat next to Joey, stark naked, her clothes having been destroyed and the rags left in the anthropology building. In the rearview mirror I could see Jesse's distinctive mane as he continued to hulk over the tablet. When we reached the motel Ryan and I ran upstairs and hauled everything downstairs, then Joey checked us out, not even trying to get the extra money since we'd paid for a week upfront.

I was cautious to obey every traffic law I could think of us we headed out of town. The last thing we needed was to get pulled over with a stolen artifact, a naked girl, and a were-hyena in the car. Although Sharpay ripped through her luggage and put on some sweat clothes as soon as she'd calmed down a little. Jesse was still shifted in the back, trying to lie as low as possible so that any cars behind us wouldn't see him.

"You can turn back now, Jesse." Ryan said after looking in the rear view mirror.

"Uh, I don't think he can." Joey said, leaning backwards over the seat to study his boyfriend.

"What?" Sharpay asked, turning her head to look.

"Ryan said he could change back, and he shook his head."

"This is _so_ not good." Sharpay said.

"Okay. This isn't good for him in the long run, but Joey, go back there with him. You might be able to help him with this." Ryan said.

Joey nodded and climbed over the seat, almost kicking Sharpay in the head in the process.

"Uh, what do I do?"

"Just hold him. Be there for him." Ryan said. "Jesse. Close your eyes and force your wolf… er… hyena? Force your whatever it is down. Draw on Joey for strength. I know you can do it."

After a few minutes a cacophony of wet pops flooded the van followed by the sound of Jesse panting. "Why was that so hard?" He asked between gasps.

"If I had to guess, I'd say the curse. But that's just a guess." Ryan said.

"Curse?"

I saw Sharpay's head bob in the rearview mirror, and then refocused my eyes on the road. "The Serpent turned his back on her, and cursed her to live as a beast." Sharpay said.

"Oh, that's just great. So not only am I a freaky half-werewolf half-were-hyena thing with a craving for human flesh, but I could get stuck that way? Have I mentioned how much simpler my life was before I met you people?" Jesse said.

"Wait, you have a craving for human flesh?" Ryan asked.

I looked in the rear view mirror in time to see Jesse shrug. "A little. Let's just say it was pretty hard to spit out Paul's neck, I can still smell it in here."

"It is in here." I said.

"Why would you bring that?" Ryan asked, turning to look at me.

"You said to clean up. I cleaned up. I didn't think you wanted big chunks of flesh left on the campus." I said, sparing him just a glance before focusing on the road again. It was getting hard to pay attention to driving with everything going on inside of the van.

"I don't think it would matter. I saw one of the guards' golf carts from the upstairs. The guard was slumped over the steering wheel. I don't think Paul has the issues with murdering people that we do."

"Eww… you mean he…?" Sharpay asked.

Ryan nodded.

"I can't believe I ever thought he was cute." She said with a sigh.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27 **

We drove back a different way than we'd come, well as different as we could. We stopped off at another motel in a town called Payson to wash up, get Jesse dressed, repack everything, and get a few hours of sleep. I got up early and watched the morning news, there was a report on the killings and the break-in on the university campus, but no description of us, the van, or what was stolen. I exhaled in relief, only then realizing that I'd been holding my breath through the report.

We ate a quick breakfast at the Denny's in front of the motel, and then checked out. I looked at the date as we paid, and only then realized that it was the Fourth of July. I'd forgotten the holiday in the confusion.

"What are we going to tell your parents about coming back early?" I asked once we were in the car.

"Nothing." Ryan said. "We'll just stay at your house until we were supposed to get back. Besides, that'll give us the time to get down into the nest and give this thing to that thing."

"So we're giving this thing, to that thing, to save us from the other thing?" I asked with a smirk. "And what about that thing last night that Paul called with this thing?" I said holding up the whistle, I'd cleaned it up at the hotel and dumped the bits of Paul in a trashcan behind a grocery store.

"Hey. It's not my fault our language doesn't have more vague pronouns for me to use, or that I don't know the proper names to use for these things." Ryan said, taking the whistle from my hand.

It was long and thin like a dog whistle, and looked to be made from bone painted a sickening, and familiar, yellow color. There were strange glyphs, like those in the nest etched into it.

"Huh, this one kind of looks like the thing last night." Ryan said.

I looked to the side and noticed the symbol he was pointing at. "Yeah, if you squint a lot I guess."

"Shouldn't you guys get rid of that thing?" Sharpay asked.

"Can everyone please stop using the word, 'thing'?" Jesse begged from next to Sharpay. With the tablet taking up the space where the backseat had been, Sharpay, Joey, and Jesse were forced to share the middle seat.

"Sure _thing_, man." I said.

Jesse groaned and Ryan punched me in the arm. "That was just bad. I mean, really?"

I laughed and focused on the road, it was going to be a long drive. Ryan and I switched at the border. Ryan had wanted to make Joey drive, but I pointed out that we'd be obligated to share the seat with Sharpay if that happened. He saw things my way and agreed to drive.

* * *

We arrived at my house right after sunset. I pulled the Mustang out of the garage, and Joey backed the minivan in. Then I switched the plates back, stashing the Arizona plate under a pile of laundry I needed to do. We left the tablet where it was for now, and Sharpay called the rest of the pack, then went upstairs to my old room for a long shower. Jesse set about disassembling my computer and installing the dead professor's hard drive.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" I asked, eying the bits of computer now strewn about the kitchen table.

"I think so." Jesse said while fiddling with a screwdriver. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to your porn collection."

I blushed. "Uh… what makes you think I'd have…"

Ryan gave me a long look and then turned to Jesse. "Don't be too careful with it."

Jesse finished what he was doing and then brought my monitor down stairs, plugging it into the still case-less system. "Now, if she wasn't too paranoid, we should just be able to see what's on the drive."

"And if she was too paranoid?" Joey asked, watching his boyfriend with interest.

"Then things get interesting."

"I hate it when you say that." Joey said. "Why do you always say 'interesting' when you mean hard?"

Jesse paused for a moment. "I don't know. I never thought about it."

A knock came from the front door, and I let Jason, Kelsi, and her parents in. As soon as the door was closed, Mrs. Nielsen held a piece of paper up in front of me. I stepped back and focused on it, it looked like a copy of the story about the killings at Arizona State.

"It wasn't us." I said.

She arched an eyebrow and glared at me. "Then it seems you had an interesting trip."

"You have some explaining to do." Kelsi's dad said, pushing passed me and into the living room.

"Uh, yeah. I guess you could say that." I said, following him.

"So what happened?" Mrs. Nielsen asked, taking a seat on the couch.

"Uh uh, wait for Gabriella to get here. I don't want to explain this more than once." Ryan said.

Kelsi's mom rolled her eyes. "Fine, but don't think you're getting out of this."

Ryan and I returned to the kitchen, to find Jesse staring at the computer, typing with amazing speed. Joey looked at us as we entered. "Trouble?" He asked.

"They heard about the murders. I think they think we did it." I said.

Ryan nodded.

"Well, that is more believable then we were jumped by a Nagual who was carried away by a winged thing from my worst nightmares." Jesse said.

"Yeah, but since when have our lives been believable?" Ryan asked.

"Last year." Joey, Jesse, and I said in unison.

"Jinx." Jesse mumbled while still typing.

"Jesse." Ryan said with exasperation.

"You're one to talk." Jesse said with a laugh.

"I'm the only one who can." Ryan said with a smirk. "Did you find anything yet?"

"I'm still looking. There's a lot of crap on here. Good news is the entire disk isn't encrypted, bad news is some of her personal files are." Jesse scrolled through a large directory. "And she has about ten years worth of grade books saved on here, and it isn't very organized."

Another knock came from the front door, and I went to check it. This time I looked through the peephole before opening it, paranoid that maybe the cops had decided to pay me another visit, but it was just Gabriella. I opened the door and let her in. She too held a piece of paper up in front of my face. "Want to explain this?" She asked.

I didn't even bother to look at it. "It wasn't us. Go upstairs and get Sharpay, and then we'll explain everything. Well everything we can." I said.

She nodded and went up the stairs taking them two at a time. I sighed, resisting the urge to scream, and went back into the kitchen just in time to here Jesse gasp. "I think I found something."

"What?" Ryan asked leaning over his shoulder. I moved to look over Ryan's shoulder, while Joey leaned in from his seat at Jesse's side.

Jesse tapped the monitor. "It's a scan of some Greek book. It's not very good quality, but look at that." I stretched around for a better view, seeing the strange symbols he was tapping on the monitor. "It looks like the glyphs in the cave, and on the tablet."

"Great. But none of us reed Greek either." Joey said.

Jesse sighed. "But I bet we can find a Greek to English dictionary easier than a… whatever language this is to English one." Jesse paused and then punched Joey in the arm. "And that's for talking when you were jinxed."

"Ow." Joey said, rubbing his arm.

Ryan punched me in the arm then. "I heard you talking to Gabriella." He said with a smirk.

"Is this really the time for that?" I asked with a feigned look of hurt in my eyes.

Ryan laughed. "You need to work on your acting skills, Bolton."

I grumbled some choice words under my breath, and then heard feet on the stairs. "Come on, we need to explain what happened before they decide to do anything to us."

Ryan sighed, but allowed me to take his hand and lead him into the living room.

All eyes focused on the four of us as we entered the living room. Sharpay was already sitting in my dad's chair, her favorite seat, but Kelsi's parents were sitting where Ryan and I normally did. With seating limited, I sat down on the floor, joined by Joey and Jesse. Ryan cleared his throat, and looked at the expectant eyes surrounding him.

"So. I bet you all want to know about the deaths in Arizona."

Mrs. Nielsen nodded. "That'd be a good place to start."

Ryan took a deep breath. "Well, one thing we didn't tell you before we left, which I'm beginning to think we should have, is that the professor in charge of the dig at Lava Springs was murdered in Mexico last month. When we broke into her office to find information on the tablet, which we did get by the way, someone else had already broken in earlier that day. All Sharpay could tell was that it was a Nagual. When we were getting the tablet out, he attacked us; he's the one who killed the campus guards."

"A Nagual, who just happened to be there?" Kelsi's dad asked.

"No. He didn't just happen to be there. He wanted the tablet. Sharpay and Jesse managed to fight him off." Ryan said.

"Jesse?" Mrs. Nielsen asked, turning to look at him.

"Uh… yeah. I can kind of… hyena shift, sometimes." Jesse said, intimidated by her gaze.

"How interesting." She said, before returning her attention to Ryan. "Did you kill him?"

"Not for lack of trying." Sharpay said from her seat in Dad's chair.

Ryan glared at her, then returned his attention to Mrs. Nielsen and pulled the strange whistle from his pocket. "No. He blew this thing, and some bat winged thing carried him off."

"A bat winged thing?" Mr. Nielsen asked.

Ryan nodded. "Yeah. A big bat-winged thing. It kind of looked like this." He pointed to one of the symbols on the whistle and handed it to Kelsi's mom. "I didn't get a very good look at it. I don't think any of us did." He said, turning to look at each of us in turn, we each shook our head.

"Were you seen?" She asked, turning the whistle over in her hands.

"I don't think so. But I can't be sure." Ryan said.

Mrs. Nielsen shook her head. "Nothing is ever simple with you kids." She sighed. "Well then, let's see this tablet."

Sharpay groaned. "It weighs a ton."

"Actually it weighs half a ton." Jesse said.

"Do you want to come help me with it again?" She asked, glaring at him.

"Not really, no." Jesse said.

"Then shut your mouth." Sharpay said, standing and stripping off her shirt.

"You're not going to be able to move it alone, Sis." Ryan said.

"I saw one of those wheeled things people use for moving furniture in the garage; I just need to get it on to that." She said and headed for the garage.

"Jason, go help her." Mrs. Nielsen said.

Jason rolled his eyes, but followed after Sharpay.

Kelsi's mom focused her attention back on Ryan. "Is there anything else you'd like to tell us?"

Ryan shrugged. "Jesse stole the professor's hard drive. He's got it loaded up in the kitchen."

She turned to look at Jesse. "Is there anything interesting on it?"

Jesse nodded. "Yeah. I haven't gone through all of it yet, but I found some scans of a Greek book that has some of the same symbols in it."

Gabriella perked up from her seat near Sharpay. "Greek?"

Jesse nodded.

"Go show her." Mrs. Nielsen said.

Jesse nodded and stood up, and then went into the kitchen followed by Gabriella. We sat in silence for a few minutes until Sharpay, in her half-form and assisted by Jason, pulled the still wrapped tablet in on a dolly, leaving deep dirt marks on my clean carpet. I sighed, that wasn't going to be fun to clean. Then I paused, wondering where that thought had come from; realizing that home ownership was turning me into my parents.

She pushed it off of the dolly, and it fell to the floor with a muffled clang. She then went back into the entry way, and returned a minute later pulling her shirt back on. "Why couldn't it be wood?"

"Wood would've rotted away." Mr. Nielsen said.

Ryan grabbed some scissors from a drawer and cut away the tablet's protective wrapping, revealing the dull iron for the first time.

"It's metal?" Mrs. Nielsen asked.

"Meteoric iron, according to an article the professor was writing about it." Ryan said, peeling back more of the wrapping.

"If it's iron, it should show some signs of oxidation." Mrs. Nielsen said, and then looked at our uncomprehending blinks. "Rust."

"And bat winged things shouldn't carry murderous were-jaguars into the sky. I give up trying to make sense of this stuff." Joey said.

"Yes, well we don't all have that luxury." Kelsi's mom said, stepping forward to look at the tablet.

I stood up to examine it as well, it was covered with what looked like the same dots and squiggles as the walls of the nest, not that I was any sort of expert. Thinking about it I figured that English and German would probably look alike at first glance too, at least to someone who didn't know either language. The symbols were carved pretty large, and it looked like there were only seven rows of text on it, if I was looking at it right.

"So why do you think that thing wants this?" I asked.

"I don't know. But I think we should take some time to find out before handing it over." Kelsi's dad said.

"But what about me and Jesse?" I asked.

"Troy. There's no telling what this thing is. You need to understand that it's possible making the deal will be worse than not."

"So you're saying you're willing to just let us die?" I asked.

Mrs. Nielsen sighed again. "No. I'm not going to just let you die. But we don't even know if that thing can uphold its end of the deal. We don't know what the consequences of giving this to it will be, and they might be worse than the deaths of five Oborotni and a Nagual."

Ryan took my hand and squeezed it, giving me a weak smile.

"Gabriella, Jesse, get out here." Kelsi's mom called into the kitchen.

The two joined us after a moment. Gabriella's eyes widened when she saw the tablet, and she knelt down to examine it. Jesse looked from the tablet to Mrs. Nielsen. "What's up?"

"I need the two of you to find out as much about this tablet and the writings in that cave as you can." Kelsi's mom said.

"How long do we have?" Gabriella asked, running her hand over the writing.

"If that thing wasn't lying, you should still have a few months before we need to worry. But I'd like to know as soon as possible." Mrs. Nielsen said, then held the whistle out to Gabriella, "See if you can find out what this is too."

Gabriella took the whistle, and then she and Jesse nodded, before returning to the kitchen.

"Aren't you going to help them decipher it?" Kelsi asked her mom.

Mrs. Nielsen shook her head. "There are things which can be attracted by knowing too much about them. This thing has already seen Jesse and Gabriella, so as much as I might want to know what's going on here, there's no point in exposing another of us to its influence."

"So you're just going to let them take all the risks?" Ryan asked.

Kelsi's mom gave a short bitter laugh and turned to face Ryan. "I've taken my share of risks, and if I thought I could find something they can't, I would help. They're already at risk; do you really see any reason why I should risk myself too?"

Ryan sighed. "I suppose not."

Mr. Nielsen nodded. "Well, let's get going then. Kelsi, Jason?" He turned and walked towards the door followed by his wife. Kelsi looked at me and gave me a shrug and Jason took the time to offer me his hand and give me a confused but supportive look before they joined her parents at the door and left.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28 **

Gabriella somehow managed to get her mom's permission to spend the night at my place, and so she and Jesse spent half the night examining the tablet, the whistle, the document from the professor's hard drive, and every website they could find on translating Ancient Greek.

Ryan and I spent the night in what had been my parents' room. Sharpay slept in the guest room, Joey and later Jesse when he couldn't stay up any longer spent the night in what had been my room. Gabriella didn't sleep, and was still staring at the scanned document while jotting down hasty notes when I went downstairs to start breakfast.

"You should sleep." I said, opening the refrigerator.

"I'm not tired." She said, moving the mouse to switch between windows.

"You've been up all night. If you're not tired, you should be." I said.

"I'll be fine." She said, continuing to stare at the screen.

I rolled my eyes and looked into the refrigerator. "Ugh, how long is milk good for?" I asked, holding the plastic bottle of yellow liquid up.

Gabriella tore her eyes from the monitor for the first time and made a disgusted face. "About half as long as you've had that."

I sighed, and poured the nasty stuff down the drain, wrinkling my nose at the smell. "And eggs?" I asked, eying the row of white things in the refrigerator with suspicion.

"Order pizza, Troy." Gabriella said without bothering to look away from the screen this time.

I ordered six meatlovers' pizzas and then sat down in the empty chair at Gabriella's side. "Find anything?"

"Not yet. I'm still translating the Greek. This is a really old dialect, and parts of the scroll weren't scanned in very well." She pointed towards a region of the screen where I could see the writing trail off to invisibility.

"Well, what do the parts you've translated say?" I asked, trying to sneak a peek at the notes she was taking. I caught a little before she maneuvered the page away from my view. 'The Pnakotica, as translated by the dreamer Critias from the Scroll of Ulthar.'

"Nothing much. Just some myths about the first men and winged gods that brought civilization to them." She said.

"Are you sure their myths?" I asked. "I mean, up until a year ago I thought we were myths."

Gabriella shook her head. "No. But I'm going to pretend."

"Hey, whatever lets you get to sleep at night. Or not. At least go take a shower you smell." I said, standing up.

She punched me in the arm, but then caught a whiff of her own funk. "Ugh, you're right." And headed upstairs.

I went into the living room and turned on ESPN while waiting for the pizzas. I noticed the unwrapped tablet still lying on the floor, and spent some time staring at the symbols on it. It felt strange having the thing in my living room. I'd only seen the symbols in the nest before, illuminated by glow sticks and flickering firelight, but having them right here, in the same room as I was watching ESPN in, it made everything seem more real, more horrible.

I stared at the symbols, and stood up to walk towards it. In a strange way they almost seemed to make sense to me. I touched one that looked like a cross between a cone and a starfish. It shocked me. I jerked my finger back, and looked at the burn mark it had left on the tip of my finger. I watched as the burn regenerated and vanished, then looked back at the tablet. I gasped, the symbols had all changed.

"Shit. What'd I do?" I asked to no one.

I reached out and touched another symbol. I got another shock for my trouble, but this time I watched as the tablet changed again, the tablet's surface seemed to ripple and flow like water, the current symbols sinking into it, and new ones rising to the surface.

"I don't suppose you know English." I said before tapping another symbol and receiving another shock as the writing changed again.

"You know, talking to yourself is a sign of madness." Ryan said from the doorway.

I turned to look at him, then back to the tablet. I gasped, I could read the writing now. Ryan circled around behind me, and stared at the tablet.

"Uh, what did you do?" He asked.

"I don't know."

I looked at the tablet again, and read it out loud. "The Yithians transported themselves from their doomed world into the indigenous intelligence of this planet at the time when the civilization of the polyps was coming to a close."

I tapped the word 'world', and the tablet change again. "Yith, the fourth planet of Gamma Ophiuchi. The original homeworld of the Yithians was destroyed by Ghroth the Harbinger during the second age of Daoloth."

"You can read that?" Ryan asked, looking from the tablet to me.

"You mean you can't?" I asked, backing away from the iron thing.

"Uh, no." He said with worry in his voice.

"Touch one of the symbols." I said.

Ryan shrugged and tapped the tablet. Nothing happened.

"Shit." I said.

Ryan nodded. "Uh, why don't you stop playing with it?"

I nodded. "Yeah, good idea."

Ryan grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and threw it over the tablet, hiding the writing. I sighed with relief and stood up, embracing him.

"Don't worry. We'll figure this out." Ryan said, wrapping his arms around me.

Just then there was a knock on the door, and I went to greet the pizza boy. Ryan paid for the pies and I carried the, as always, large stack into the kitchen.

"Didn't feel like cooking?" Ryan asked as he followed me in.

"After seeing the milk, I don't trust anything in the fridge." I said, opening the top box and pulling out a slice. Ryan laughed and grabbed some plates from the cupboard before getting his own.

"Gabriella didn't sleep last night." I said, grabbing her notes and looking at them.

Ryan shrugged. "I'm not surprised. You know how she gets when she doesn't understand something."

I nodded, and sat down at the table across from my still case-less computer. "They're going to break it." I said with a sigh.

Ryan laughed again. "If they do, I'll buy you a new one."

I rolled my eyes. "I can buy my own, Ry. I don't need your family's money for everything."

"You know I didn't mean it like that." He said taking a seat at my side.

"I know." I said, shoving the rest of my first piece into my mouth before I could say something I might regret.

The smell of food soon lured Sharpay and Joey downstairs, and a bleary eyed Gabriella who finally looked tired. After another piece of pizza I looked over Gabriella's notes. "We fled Ghruth to this world…" I read from her notes. Gabriella shot me a glare and almost ripped the tablet of paper from my hand. "Hey, I was reading that." I said.

"It's not finished."

"And it should be Ghroth, with an 'o', not Ghruth." I said.

"Oh, so now you're a master of Ancient Greek?" She said, setting the notes down on the counter far from my reach, before taking a plate and joining us at the table.

"He can read the tablet." Ryan said.

"What?" Gabriella and Sharpay said in unison as they both turned to stare at me.

I blushed, feeling very uncomfortable, and nodded. Now I knew how Jesse must have felt when he was the only one who could understand the hyena-thing's meeping. "Uh, yeah. It changes too."

"What?" Gabriella asked again.

"I don't know. I touched one of the symbols, and the writing changed. Then I touched another one, and it changed again. Then I asked it if it knew English, and after I touched another symbol I could read it."

"Show me." Gabriella commanded, standing up.

I shook my head. "After breakfast, and you should take a nap or something."

She rolled her eyes. "There'll be plenty of time to sleep after we figure out how to make that thing leave you guys alone."

"But there's time for breakfast right now." Ryan said, staring at Gabi until she gave up with an annoyed shrug and sat back down.

After we were all done eating, we waited for Jesse to come downstairs before Ryan allowed me to mess with the tablet again. I pulled the blanket off of it. Gabriella gasped when she saw that the writing was definitely different then it had been the night before.

"And none of you can read this?" I asked.

"I can." Jesse said with a sigh. "Of course."

Joey patted him on the back.

I tapped the word 'Ghroth', received another shock, and watched as the writing swam again.

"Ghroth the Harbinger, the omen and sometimes agent of doom for many worlds and civilizations. Of special interest are Yith, Shaggai, and our own home world. He has visited this world several times in the past, and may yet return." Jesse read.

Gabriella attempted to poke one of the symbols, but nothing happened. At her urging Sharpay and Joey also tried, but still nothing happened. Then she made Jesse try. He touched the word 'Shaggai' and yelped, pulling his finger back. The writing swam and changed.

"Sorry. I should've mentioned the shock." I said.

Jesse glared at me, holding his finger in his mouth. "That hurt." He mumbled past it.

I looked at the tablet. "Shaggai, home world of the Shan, destroyed by Ghroth the Harbinger at the behest of Idh-Yaa during the ninth age of Kthandin." I read. "I don't suppose you have an index?" I asked and tapped the tablet again. Nothing happened. I shrugged. "Well, it was worth a try."

Ryan nodded.

Gabriella looked from the tablet to me, a strange smirk growing on her face. "This is great though. If you two can read it, then you can read it to me, and maybe I can figure out how to read the other symbols." She paused. "Unless you two already can."

She ran into the kitchen and grabbed her digital camera. She showed a picture of the strange writing in the nest to me and to Jesse. But it still just looked like weird squiggles to me. "Nope." I said.

Jesse shook his head and shrugged. "It must be something to do with the tablet."

"But why just you two?" Sharpay asked.

"Maybe for the same reason the thing in the city is interested in us." I said.

Gabriella held up her camera and took a picture of the tablet, then showed the camera to Jesse. He looked confused. I stood up and looked at the picture showing on the back of the camera. In the image I again saw the strange glyphs, but when I looked back at the tablet it was still in English. "Okay, that's weird." I said.

Jesse nodded. "You can't read them like this either?"

"Not a word."

"Well I'm going upstairs and taking a bath. You guys have fun." Sharpay said, turning on her heel and heading for the stairs.

I sighed and looked at Gabriella. "So where do we start?" I asked.

She held up the whistle. "I think we need to know what this is first, in case that Paul guy comes looking for the tablet."

I nodded and took the bone whistle from her hand, turning it over in my hands. "Any idea what type of animal it's from?" I asked.

"I don't exactly have access to a lab anymore, and I'm not sure how to do the tests for that either." Gabriella said with a shrug.

"Come on guys. We know how our luck goes. If that isn't human, I'll eat his hat." Jesse said pointing at Ryan who grabbed his hat in a defensive gesture.

I stifled a laugh and turned the thing over in my hand again. The symbols looked similar to what had been on the tablet, but not quite the same. "I'm not sure these are the same symbols." I said, and then handed the whistle to Jesse who examined it again.

"It looks… related… but not identical." Jesse said. "It could maybe be the same language, but if it is there's been some orthographical changes."

"Ortho-whatical?" I asked.

Gabriella sighed. "Orthographical, how it's written. Sometimes letters change over time or alphabets are switched."

"Oh." I said.

She shook her head and took the whistle back from Jesse who handed it over with reluctance, then looked up passed me and froze.

"Uh. Troy, would you do me a favor and turn around? Tell me what you see." Jesse asked.

I gave him a confused look, but then turned around and I think I jumped a foot in the air, I know I yelped. There, standing behind the tablet, was a figured in a tattered yellow robe. I blinked and it was gone.

"You saw it too?" He asked.

I was too shocked to speak and only nodded my head a few more times than were necessary.

"Saw what?" Ryan asked, looking in the same direction I was.

"The man in yellow." Jesse said.

Ryan continued to stare in the direction I'd seen him. "I don't see anything."

"He's gone now." I said.

"I thought we were supposed to have a few more months?" Gabriella said.

"We are." Ryan said, taking a step forward to examine the tablet. "The text changed again."

I looked down to the hunk of iron and read it out loud. "In the palace of Carcosa, beneath the twin moons, Haon-dor reigns supreme."

Jesse nodded, confirming my translation.

Gabriella looked at the whistle in her hand, studying the symbols on it, and then at the tablet. She took a step towards Ryan and the tablet, and pointed at one of the words. "What does this one mean?"

"Haon-dor." Jesse and I said in unison.

Gabriella nodded. "It's on the whistle." She held it up in front of us and pointed at a yellow painted symbol that looked like three snakes fighting over something.

"Which means what, exactly?" Joey asked, speaking for the first time in a while.

Gabriella wrinkled her brow the way she did when she was thinking, and looked from the whistle, to the tablet, to me, to Jesse. "Okay, these two see the guy in yellow again." She said pointing at Jesse and I. "Then the tablet changes. So there's some connection between him and the tablet. Then the same symbol on the tablet that this Paul character was after is on the whistle he used to escape, so there's some connection between Paul and the tablet. If we assume that that passage," she pointed at the tablet, "is about The Shepherd, which it seems to be because I think we all recognize the description of that city, then Haon-Dor must be The Shepherd's name." We all just stared at her and nodded. She didn't seem to be paying attention to any of us. "Which would mean that Paul is somehow associated with him."

"Which means what for us?" Joey asked.

Gabriella paused, and blinked a few times, returning from her rampant hypothesizing. "I don't know."


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29 **

Jesse and I spent the rest of our already hectic and too short vacation from work helping Gabriella translate the tablet and the pictures from the nest. Sharpay arranged for Gabriella to get time off from her poolside duties to work with us. The man in yellow didn't make any more appearances, but to be on the safe side Ryan restricted us to only reading one page from the tablet a day, leaving it covered at all other times. I can't say Gabi was happy about it, but Jesse and I were more comfortable with the thing hidden

The work progressed slowly. The hand painted symbols in the cavern weren't uniform, and more than a few looked similar, but made no sense when translated in context. We only managed to translate the first mural we'd found, revealing that it was a festival held in honor of the things' god, Motichian. It was called the Feast of the Consuming Darkness.

After that we had to return to work, still no closer to understanding just what was going on. The tablet said lots of things, but none of them made any sense. At least we all hoped they didn't. If even half the things Jesse and I had read were true…

Fulton didn't go easy on us when we got back. He wasn't the type of man who liked his precious order upset, and our absence had forced him to rearrange the schedules of half of the staff and have some of them work overtime. To make matters worse, he was still terrified of Sharpay, which meant he knew he couldn't fire us, but was bound and determined to punish us as much as he could. The fact that none of us could really focus on our jobs under the circumstances didn't help matters any.

Ryan and Sharpay's parents were back in town for a few weeks before their annual trip to France. Even though we did all the research at my house, Ryan and I had resumed our normal pattern of alternating nights between his house and mine, but for the full moon we agreed to stay at my place all three nights, and to have Jesse and Joey come over too. That way there was less of a chance of Ryan's parents walking in on Joey mid-change, seeing as he wasn't quite housebroken yet.

On the first night of the full moon Ryan took Joey upstairs just before sunset to once again try and coach him through the change. Jesse and I stayed downstairs with Gabriella translating yet another page from the tablet for her and trying to puzzle out the whistle's symbols. Between our ability to read the tablet and what she'd learned from the scroll on the professor's computer she'd been able to figure out most of it, 'Call the winged servant… Haon-dor'. But there were still three symbols on it that didn't appear anywhere in the scroll or on the tablet.

"Maybe we should just blow it." Gabriella said, after an hour spent comparing one of the mystery symbols to the pictures she'd taken in the nest.

"What is your obsession with the whistle?" I asked. "Don't you think we know enough about it?"

Jesse nodded in agreement with me.

Gabi shook her head. "No. I don't know how it works, or what the winged thing that helped Paul is."

"Why do you need to know how it works?" I asked.

She sighed and looked at me. "Because if I know how it works, then maybe some of the rest of this will start making sense."

"Yeah. I don't think it would help." Jesse said, throwing the blanket back over the tablet.

"Understanding always helps." Gabriella said. "None of this makes any sense. Everything we are, everything we find, violates half the known laws of physics. If I… if we can figure out the laws these things work by, then who knows what secrets we'll be able to uncover."

I could tell she was heading towards a rant and cut her off. "Gabi. We're not doing this to revolutionize science. We're doing this to save the two of us," I pointed at Jesse and then myself, "from the thing in the tower. Remember?"

She sighed again. "I know, Troy. But… you just don't understand how hard this is for me."

Jesse snorted. "For you? Last time I checked you weren't the cursed one."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and then focused them on the whistle again, ignoring us for now.

I heard a door open upstairs, and Jesse and I left Gabriella to her studies. We found Ryan and a once again canine Joey coming down the stairs.

"Still?" Jesse asked, kneeling down to greet Joey with an affectionate pat on the head.

The wolf heaved a heavy sigh and rolled its eyes, as did Ryan.

"Do you want me to try tomorrow?" I asked, looking at Ryan. "No offense, but maybe your methods just aren't for him."

Ryan sighed. "Fine, you can try tomorrow. But they aren't just my methods, they've worked for generations of Oborotni and they'd work for him if he'd let them." Ryan glared at the back of the wolf's head.

I felt more than heard a sound penetrate my skull, I felt dizzy. Joey gave a yelp and dropped to the ground trying to cover his ears with his paws. The shrill vibration came again.

"Shit. She's blowing the whistle." Jesse said, turning to race into the kitchen.

Ryan and I followed on his heels, and caught Gabriella putting the bone whistle to her lips for a third time, and for a third time the annoying vibration messed with my sense of balance. I stumbled and fell into Ryan, who also having lost his balance toppled to the floor with me on top of him.

"Stop." Jesse said, snatching the bone from her hands.

"I just wanted to hear what it sounded like." Gabriella said.

I pushed myself up, and looked down at the prone form of my boyfriend beneath me. He caught my eyes, and groaned, pushing me off of him. "So not the time for that, Troy." I stood up, and offered him my hand to help him up, which he accepted.

A sound like nails on a chalkboard flooded into the kitchen from the living room. Ryan ran into the living room, followed by Gabriella, then myself, and Jesse in the rear. The sound was coming from behind the curtain that was concealing the sliding door to the backyard.

I moved to the side of the curtains and pulled the drawstring parting the curtains a sliver.

Ryan gasped. "Close the curtains."

I didn't even think about it, but just did as he told me, drawing them shut with a single fast movement.

"What is it?" I asked.

"She summoned the winged thing." Ryan said, spinning to glare at Gabriella.

"What?" I asked, and peaked around the edge of the curtain, through the sliding door, and into my backyard. There was definitely something out there, but I couldn't get a good look at it. I just caught a few glimpses of something large, black, and winged hovering in the yard.

"What do we do?" Jesse asked with a hint of panic in his voice.

"Turn off the lights and hope it goes away?" I suggested.

"With our luck?" Ryan asked. "It'll still be flapping around out there until lunch. I'm sure the local news will love that."

"So what do we do?" Jesse asked.

Ryan looked from the whistle clutched in Jesse's hand to Gabriella. "You called it, can you tell it to go away?" He asked.

Gabriella shrugged. "Maybe. If I understood the spell right it should have to obey me."

"Spell?" I asked.

Ryan glanced at me and held up his hand. "One thing at a time." Then he turned to look at Gabriella. "If you understood it correctly? If? New rule, if we survive this, no casting anything unless you know what it will do."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, yet again, and mumbled something about the scientific theory under her breath.

"Now, tell it to go home, or wherever." Ryan said, pointing out to the patio.

Gabriella sighed and I opened the drapes wide enough for her to unlock and open the sliding door; the sound of large wings flapping was audible through the opened door. She stepped into the backyard, and Jesse slid the door shut behind her, but not before a whiff of a strange scent made it through the opening. Joey barked and pawed at his nose.

Jesse knelt down at his boyfriend's side and rubbed his head. "I know. Let's just hope she can make it leave."

Gabriella approached the flapping shape, which retreated to the far side of the yard. I eyed the light switch that controlled the patio lights and considered turning them on. On the one hand it would let us see the thing better, on the other hand I wasn't at all sure I wanted to see the thing better.

Ryan shook his head. "Don't do it, Troy. I don't want to know."

I nodded and pulled my hand away from the switch.

Gabriella turned around and came back to the sliding door, opening it. "It's not listening to me. Let me have the whistle."

Jesse eyed her with suspicion, but handed the bone object over. Gabriella slid the door shut and walked to the edge of the patio, holding the symbol painted whistle over her head. I pressed my ear to the glass to hear her. "Your services are no longer required. Go home. Go on, shoo."

Gabriella shrugged and returned to the door. Jesse slid it open as she reached it. "No luck?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Wanna come try meeping at it?"

Jesse shook his head. "Do I want to? Hell no. I don't even know if I can. Just because I can understand it doesn't mean I can do it."

"You can try." She said, taking his hand and attempting to drag him out.

"What makes you think it even speaks degenerate-hyena?" Jesse asked, struggling against her grasp.

"Let's just call it a hunch." She said, finally getting him past the threshold. We didn't bother to close the sliding door this time; it was evident that for now at least the winged thing was content to keep its distance.

"Like the hunch that got you to blow that stupid whistle in the first place?" He asked.

"Yes. Like that one. Now take this," she dropped the whistle into his hands, "and tell it to go home."

"How do we know it isn't already home?" Jesse asked, approaching the edge of the patio and looking up into the darkness.

"It's not. If the _Pnakotica_ is correct then it's from a lot closer to that dream city." Gabriella said.

"That's a lot of ifs." Jesse said, looking from the source of the gentle flapping sound to Gabriella.

"Just do it." She said.

"So what, now you're a Nike commercial?" Jesse asked, turning to look at the dark form that I couldn't quite see, and shuddering. "Um... okay... shoo?"

"Try that gibberish the things speak." Gabriella said.

"Oh yeah. Um... meep?" He said.

"That's not what I meant." Gabriella said.

"Hey, if you think it's so easy, you do it." Jesse snapped at the dark haired girl before returning his attention to the thing. "Go home." He said brandishing the whistle at it as though it were some kind of weapon. It didn't seem like the thing was even acknowledging him, though I couldn't see its head, for which I should probably be thankful. "Please leave?" There didn't seem to be any reaction from the thing. "Meep, meep, meep?" Jesse tried.

"Now you sound like the road runner." I called from the open door.

Ryan cuffed the back of my head.

"Ow, what?"

Joey gave me a low growl. I glared at him and assumed a dominant posture without realizing I'd done it. He backed down.

I returned my attention to the end of the patio, where the thing seemed to be hovering just over the basketball court. Gabriella and Jesse's bodies blocked most of my view, but I was able to tell that it was at least the same type of thing as we'd seen in Phoenix. I could just make out one of the thing's arms, which looked like it had at least one more joint than was normal, and one less finger.

"If there was a spell to summon it, was there a spell to banish it too?" Jesse asked, still staring at the thing.

"Of course there was." Gabriella said. "It's just that that part of the scroll wasn't readable."

Ryan leaned in next to me and whispered in my ear. "New pack rule. No casting a spell unless you've read and understand the reverse spell."

I nodded, and then turned my attention back to the strange scene in my backyard. The things tail was now twitching and thrashing in what looked like irritation or impatience, I couldn't tell which.

"Uh, guys, you're pissing it off." Ryan called to them.

"No duh." Jesse said without bothering to turn around. He held the whistle to his lips, and again I felt more than heard the strange vibration echoing in my skull. The thing flapped closer to him. Jesse pulled the whistle from his lips and then pointed at the thing. "You can go home. We don't need you. You're released." It twitched its tail again.

"Here, give it back to me." Gabriella said. "I want to try something."

Jesse looked from the flapping thing to her. "Isn't that how we got into this mess?" He asked.

"Just give it to me, Jesse." She said. Snatching it from his hands, she held it up to her lips and inhaled through it. I didn't hear or feel anything from the whistle but then the thing gave a shriek that tore through my head and sounded like a set of bag pipes falling down the stairs. It flew off into the sky.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

After the thing was gone, Ryan exploded at Gabriella. I'd only seen him angry twice before, it was still scary. As he ranted he grew bigger and bigger, losing control of his wolf. I stopped him before he could rip his clothes and lead him upstairs, sparing only a glare for Gabriella.

"Why did she do it, Troy?" Ryan asked once I had him seated on my bed.

I shrugged. "I don't know, Ry. But she's Gabi, you know how much she hates not understanding things."

He nodded, and collapsed backwards onto the soft bed. "What are we going to do?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"That thing knows where we are. You don't think it's going to tell Paul?" He said.

I think my eyes must've gone as wide as dinner plates. "I didn't think of that."

"I did." He said with a sigh.

"Well, we give the tablet to the thing in the nest as soon as possible, then if Paul wants it that much he can go down there and try to take it." I said.

Ryan nodded again, and pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number from his speed dial. "Hey Kels, no, Joey didn't get it yet. Can I talk to your mother?"

He waited for a moment, tossing his cap up in the air and catching it with one hand. "Mrs. Nielsen, we've got a problem. Gabriella accidentally summoned… or whatever… the thing that carried Paul away." He paused, listening. "No, she managed to get rid of it, but I think it's only a matter of time before Paul shows up looking for the tablet." He paused again. "What I want to do is get rid of the stupid thing, tonight if possible… No, so far we don't know anything about the tablet; accept that it covers a lot of history of really weird things."

I looked at him and raised my eyebrows, he wasn't telling her everything. He held his finger up to his mouth, telling me to stay quiet. "No, she used the whistle to call the thing. The tablet had nothing to do with it." He paused, opening and closing his mouth in an impression of someone talking. "Right. I'll call Sharpay and the six of us will deliver it. Are you sure you don't want to come? Okay, I'll call Kelsi as soon as we're back, which probably won't be until after dawn the way that place is." He clicked the phone shut and stood up.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No. But it's the only way to save you and Jesse, and maybe the rest of us. And I really don't like the interest Gabriella has taken in all of this; I don't think it's healthy."

I nodded; I couldn't disagree with his logic.

"What are we going to do when Paul shows up?" I asked. "He's going to try to kill us again."

"We'll try to subdue him, and then call Jason. I was talking to him at the country club yesterday and he told me he'd electroplated one of his dad's swords with gold. It should be enough to take him down."

"Electroplated? He used that word?" I asked.

"Well, no. But I think it's what he meant."

"How would he even know how to do that?" I asked.

Ryan shrugged. "He's an idiot savant at getting into trouble."

I chuckled and followed him downstairs as he dialed his sister's number and told her to come right over.

He addressed the room when he was done. "Okay. Having this thing around is getting to dangerous. I called Kelsi's mother and she agrees, we're taking the tablet to the thing tonight. Sharpay is on her way, we'll leave when she gets here."

"But there's so much more we could learn from it." Gabriella said in protest.

Ryan glared at her. "I think you've learned enough." He then unbuttoned his shirt, stripped off his undershirt and looked at me. "Help me get this into the back of the truck."

I nodded, and pulled my own polo shirt and undershirt over my head. I grabbed the portion of it covered by the blanket, not wanting to touch the thing, and let the full moon's faint tingle take hold in my arms and legs. Jesse held the garage door open for us, and we managed to shove it into the bed of the truck. "How are we going to get this down the manhole?"

"Drop it and hope it survives." Ryan said in a gravelly voice.

We went upstairs and changed clothes. Ryan loaned Gabriella some jeans of his own. We chose clothes we wouldn't mind burning after, assuming they didn't get torn to shreds first, there was no getting the smell of the sewers out of them, and even if there was, the smell of the nest itself would linger forever.

Sharpay arrived soon after that, and we all piled into the truck, Ryan, Sharpay and I in the cab, Jesse, Gabriella, and the wolf-shaped Joey in the bed with the wrapped tablet. I didn't like the idea of driving it again, but it was the least noticeable vehicle we owned, and the only one with a chance of holding all of us and the tablet. We stopped off at Kelsi's long enough to get our weapons, and then I drove to the now too familiar street nearest the entrance. It was far later than it usually was when we entered the sewers, so there were no cars on the street, and only one building had any lights on.

I killed the engine, and we all got out of the truck. I crossed to the manhole in the middle of the street and pried the cover up, shoving it to the side. Jesse flipped down the back gate of the truck, and Ryan climbed in and started to shove the tablet out. I took the protruding end, and we maneuvered it to the manhole and dropped it in. There was a loud splash and clang from the bottom; I looked down, it looked like the tablet was still in one piece. Ryan jumped down first, followed by Joey who had no choice but to jump. Sharpay took the ladder, followed by Jesse and then Gabriella. I went last, pulling the manhole closed behind us.

I dropped down into the muck, and then bent down to pickup the tablet with Ryan; it was still wrapped in a now sludge soaked blanket. Ugh… I liked that blanket too; I'd have to burn it with my clothes now. We didn't have any glow sticks, so we'd brought flashlights instead. Sharpay and Jesse took the lead, followed by Ryan and I with the tablet. Gabriella followed behind us so that Ryan and I would have light to see by, since we couldn't carry our flashlights and the huge thing.

Even with oboroten enhanced muscles the tablet was a horrible weight. To make matters worse allowing the wolf out enough to carry the tablet also enhanced my sense of smell, the sewers smelled bad enough under normal circumstances, with a wolf's nose I was struggling not to vomit with each step. I couldn't imagine what Joey was going through, but his snuffling and whimpers gave me some idea.

The stench in the nest itself wasn't as bad as it had been during our last visit. I guessed that the sources of the smell had rotted away at last… or been eaten. I decided to believe they'd rotted away; it was the less disturbing option. Sharpay led us into the depths again, with Jesse acting as her eyes and ears. The place was as silent as a tomb, there were no sounds except for our footsteps and the occasional grunt as Ryan and I strained under the weight. Picking the tablet up and moving it short distances was hard enough, carrying it for what felt like miles in the underground passages was excruciating. After half an hour we had to stop and take a break. Gabriella took advantage of our pause to wander through the cavern, exploring it with her flashlight and taking more pictures. This time she'd brought every memory card she could find, and spare batteries.

When I felt I'd regained enough strength to carry the thing a little farther we resumed our trip. We had to take rest breaks at least another dozen times. I found myself wishing I'd thought to grab the dolly from the garage, but one look at the rough ground showed me it wouldn't have helped much. Still, it would have been something. I caught the smell of smoke wafting up from somewhere deeper in the caverns. The scent grew stronger as Sharpay led us even deeper into the earth. I wasn't sure how she knew the way down here so well; seeing everything in the clean light of the flashlights, instead of the pale green light of the glow sticks made everything look different. If it hadn't been for the smell I wouldn't have had any idea which way to go.

Soon enough my ears caught the distant sound of flames, and soon after that we reached the king's chamber. It looked like we'd left it on our last trip, a small stream of smoke rose from the urn near the center of the room, the sheltered fire casting a weak, reddish light upon the chamber's ceiling and walls. The thing was nowhere to be seen, but I guessed it wouldn't be far off. Ryan and I carried the tablet as far as the urn, and then dropped it. A loud clang echoed through the chamber as it struck a rock on the ground.

"Hello?" Ryan called out, looking around at the mouths of the different passages that branched off from the dead king's chamber.

A gibbering voice echoed through the cavern. I tried to pinpoint its source, but the echoes were confusing my inner wolf. We all turned to look at Jesse. He sighed. "It wants to know if this is its tablet."

Ryan looked around the room, his eyes lingering again at each entrance. "If you're ready to do what you said you could, then it's all yours." He said to the darkness.

A gravelly, hyena-like chortle echoed through the room, followed by more of the thing's gibberish.

"I've made the preparations. You took longer than I expected." Jesse translated.

"It'd been taken to Phoenix. It took us a while to find it." Ryan said, fixing his gaze at the ledge from which we'd first entered the chamber. I followed his gaze, and thought I caught a hint of movement up there.

The thing stepped to the edge; it was wearing the previous king's silver mask, which looked a few sizes too large for it. It scaled down the wall with agility I wasn't expecting from it, and landed on the ground at the cliff's base before turning to face us and gibbering.

"Unwrap it."

I looked at Ryan, and he nodded. I knelt down and pulled the soggy and smelly blanket from the tablet.

The thing nodded and gibbered.

"There is a secret I must know from the tablet before I can aid you."

Ryan nodded and gestured towards it. "Just don't try anything funny."

The thing laughed again and shambled closer to us, the eyes behind the mask darting from the tablet to each of us before returning to its prize. The tablet was lying on its front; when the thing reached it, it flipped it over with ease. The thing was a lot stronger than any of the others we'd fought. It might even have been stronger than their king, but only Sharpay would be able to tell for sure about that. It looked the writing over, and gibbered in laughter.

"You've been playing."

It tapped a word, and then another. The tablet crackled with each tap, and the smell of singed flesh reached my nose, but the thing didn't seem to care. It gibbered to itself as it went, pausing on occasion to examine a full page of text, and then moving pastseveral without a glance. We stood around for the better part of an hour, none of us saying a word. We just watched the hyena-like thing study the tablet; Jesse and I both moved away from it, not wanting to know what it was reading. At last it stood up, its spine making popping noises as it straightened, and looked at each of us before focusing on Jesse and gibbering.

"This will only work if all those who have beheld Him are cleansed. Are there any others who have been marked by Him?"

Ryan shook his head. "No. Only the six of us had the dream. No one else knows anything."

The thing nodded, and then turned towards one of the passages.

"Follow me."

Ryan looked at me; worry was evident in his eyes. But he shrugged and followed after the thing. I caught up with him and took his hand. Jesse followed us, his boyfriend at his heels. Sharpay waited for Gabriella to take a picture of the tablet, and then pulled her after us. I couldn't be sure, the passage we took seemed flat, but I think it sloped downwards, just a little. We followed the thing further into the earth, after half an hour of walking Ryan stopped.

"How much further is it?" He asked the thing, which paused to turn and regard us through the silver mask.

It waited for Jesse to catch up before gibbering a response.

"Far."

"How do we know you aren't leading us into a trap?" Ryan asked.

"You don't."

"Why is this place so far away?" I asked.

"There is a place and a time for everything. The place for this is this way."

It turned, and continued on. I glanced at the worried look on Ryan's face and took his hand, pulling him further into the darkness.

"I don't think this is a good idea." Sharpay said from the back.

"Do we have a choice?" I asked, not bothering to look at her.

I heard her sigh. "I miss having choices. Everything for the last six months has been forced on me."

"If we can get this done, maybe we'll be able to have choices again." Ryan said, casting a look over his shoulder before turning to examine the ground in front of us. We were definitely going down now.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

The thing drew to a stop at a widening of the passage, and held up its hand, or paw, or whatever. We paused, and shone our lights into the darkness ahead of it. The passage opened into a small chamber. I heard a bubbling sound, and then there was a smell like a swamp coming from the darkness. Joey whimpered, and I turned back to see him wrinkling his nose.

The thing laughed, and then continued into the chamber. I guessed that it was large for a cave, but all the time I'd spent in the nest had caused me to lose any sense of perspective for it. It was smaller than many of the chambers we'd passed through, a little less than sixty feet across I guessed, and roughly circular. The ceiling sloped up and out of sight, but my eyes were drawn to the center of the room where black goop filled an irregular pool. It looked like a cross between tapioca pudding and crude oil. A large bubble rose to the surface and burst, releasing another whiff of the swampy smell.

"What is it?" Gabriella asked.

"Something that was very hard to catch."

"Catch? You mean there's something living in there?" Sharpay asked, sounding a little nauseous.

"No. I mean it is alive."

I tore my gaze from the pool, and noticed greasy looking candles laid out in a pattern around it. I counted seven of them.

"So now what?" I asked.

The thing produced a box of strike anywhere matches from behind a boulder near the pool and gibbered for a long time at Jesse.

"Whatever you see, do not interrupt me, or I can't guarantee any of us will survive. When the candles burn white one of you must enter the pool, when that one is cleansed he must leave and the next must enter, except for the Nagual. She must until the candles burn black to enter."

The thing approached the first candle and struck a match, lighting it, then turned to look at Jesse again and gibbered.

"Oh, and I'm not sure, but I think this will hurt, a lot."

It then went around the circle lighting the remaining candles. It paused to look up towards the ceiling, which even in the candle light vanished beyond the range of sight, and then took a place kneeling in front of the first candle it had lit. "Ya Ya Motichian. Ya Shupnikkurat. Ya Yup'posata." It intoned, in a more human sounding voice then it had been using. It repeated the words again, and again.

The chant droned on, but I didn't bother checking my watch to see how long it went. A chill fell upon the room, and as I watched it seemed to grow darker. The light of the candles' light faded until they were just starry pinpricks against the darkness, the flashlights didn't seem to shed light on anything further away then our own hands. In what little light there was I could see each of my breaths hanging for a moment in the air before me.

"Uh, guys, how do we know the pool isn't just going to eat us?" Jesse asked.

I looked from Jesse to Ryan, both almost invisible in the freezing darkness, their faces illuminated by the now weak glow of their flashlights. Ryan shrugged. "We don't. I don't like this anymore than you, but this seems like a lot of trouble to go to just to kill us."

"Unless he wanted to feed us to his god." I said, shivering as the chill darkness crept under my clothes.

"So who gets to go first?" Sharpay asked.

We all looked at each other in silence. The plastic casing of my flashlight grew cold in my hand, and it flickered out. I shook it a few times, but no more light came out.

"I'll go first." Ryan said. "It was my idea to make the deal with this thing, I'll take the chances."

"Like Hell you will." I said. "I'm the one the guy in the city wants. I'll go first."

"It doesn't matter which of you goes first, if one of you dies the other one's just going to commit suicide." Sharpay said as her flashlight died.

Jesse looked at Joey, then at me. "This all because of me. If we hadn't followed you down here that first time, none of this would have happened. I should go first."

Joey barked and shook his head, his eyes fixed on Jesse.

Ryan's flashlight died. He flicked the switch a few times, but it stayed dead. "No, Jesse, it's my responsibility."

"No. None of you are going first." Gabriella said. "If one of you dies, two of you die. If I die, it's just me."

"Gabriella..." I started to say, but she held up her hand.

"Save it, Troy. Sharpay and I are the only expendable ones, and she can't go first."

"Excuse me? Expendable?" Sharpay snapped at Gabi.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "You know what I meant, and you're off the hook."

One by one the remaining flashlights failed, followed by Gabi's camera and our cell phones. The cold reached all the way to my bones. The only light now was from the seven candles that shown like distant stars. I had no idea how long the thing had been chanting, it could've been minutes or it could've been hours. "Ya Shupnikkurat. Ya Yup'posata." The thing continued to chant, the cold growing more intense with each word. The almost hypnotic sounds and extreme cold seemed to be numbing my brain. I lost what little sense of time I still retained.

All at once the seven candles flared with white light. Their sudden light seemed almost blinding. I don't think they were any brighter than normal candles, but after the darkness we'd spent who new how long in, each looked like a tiny full moon.

"I think that's our queue." Ryan said, turning to look at Gabriella.

Gabi nodded and started stripping off her clothing in the cold air.

"What are you doing?" Sharpay hissed.

Gabriella pulled her shirt over her head and un-strapped her bra, revealing her naked chest. "I don't want my clothes getting gunkier than necessary." I noticed that the cold had rendered her nipples hard, and felt my own nipples through my t-shirt. I wished I'd brought warmer clothing, but it was summer outside, and we hadn't been expecting to spend time in a freezer.

"You don't have to go first." Ryan said, looking from Gabi to the still bubbling liquid.

Gabriella nodded. "I know." She walked between two of the candles, closer to the edge of the pool. Her eyes never leaving its black, irregular surface. I held my breath as she reached the edge of it and poked at it with a toe. "It's warm." She said, pulling her toe back.

"I'm glad something in this room is." Sharpay said with a shiver.

Gabriella closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then stepped forward. Unlike her toe, her foot didn't sink into it. Somehow the black liquid was supporting her weight. She opened her eyes and looked down at it before taking another step onto it; both of her feet were now resting on it. "Okay. This is creepy." She said. "It's like walking on a water bed filled with Jell-O."

"How would you even know what that feels like?" Jesse asked.

She took another step forward, struggling to keep her balance on the unsteady surface. "Ask my mom sometime." She reached the middle of the pool, and turned back to face us. "So, what happens now?" She asked.

In answer the black goop lurched. As I watched it started... it looked like it was dripping, but it was dripping up her body, in all defiance of gravity. The black fluid began at her feet, and ran upwards in rivulets across her ankles and then legs, covering them completely. Her eyes went wide as she felt it creeping along her body, and looked down to see it. If possible her eyes went wider when the thing reached her more personal regions. "It didn't even buy me dinner first." Gabriella said with a gasp. It flowed over her body, covering her stomach and then her chest, before flowing down her arms. It crept up her neck, and then covered her face, hiding from view the panicked look that had filled her eyes at the end. Now covered by the thing, her form sank beneath the fluid, a number of bubbles rising to the surface and bursting as it went.

"Is that good or bad?" Jesse asked, looking from the bubbling pool to Ryan.

Ryan just shrugged and stared at the place where we'd last seen Gabi. The thing continued its chant. "Ya Shupnikkurat. Ya Yup'posata". I lost track of time again, lost track of even the concept of time. The freezing temperature remained steady, and the seven small moons didn't even flicker in the still air of the chamber. None of us moved, the only things that violated the perfect stillness of the chamber were the hyena-thing's chant, and the occasional bubble within the pool.

The thing that was the pool shuddered, its surface rippling like a pond into which a boulder had been dropped. Between two candles on the far side of the pool it... vomited... Gabriella up, that's the best word for it. She was shivering and still had some of the goop in her hair. I heard her try to take a deep breath, instead she coughed up long sticky tendrils of the sludge from her lungs. I circled around the pool to her; Ryan joined me after a moment with her clothes.

"Gabi, are you okay?" I asked.

She shook her head, and then vomited a bunch of the black stuff up. It seemed to flow and slither on the ground, under its own power. It slipped back into the again still pool without leaving a ripple. Gabi gasped for air, and coughed again before spitting more of the blackness out of her mouth.

"What happened?" Ryan asked.

She shook her head, and gulped down a breath at last. "I don't know. But I don't think I'll ever feel clean again."

Ryan nodded, looking from the frightened girl with goop still stuck in her hair towards the pool. "Do you think it worked?" He asked.

"How would I know?" Gabriella asked.

"Okay. So it's not out to kill us. But how do we know it's doing what it says it is?" Sharpay asked.

"What else would it be doing?" I asked.

"Best case scenario, an elaborate practical joke. Worst case scenario, letting its god lay eggs in us." Sharpay answered, glaring at the pool with suspicion.

Gabriella gasped again, and looked down at her naked body in the candlelight. She ran her hands along it, probing herself.

"Any eggs?" I asked with a smirk.

"I don't think so." She answered, before catching my smirk.

She cuffed the back of my head with a goo covered hand.

"Ow. What?"

"Someone hurry up and go." Sharpay hissed. "I want to be done with this as soon as possible."

I looked at Ryan and nodded. I stood up and pulled my shirt over my head. I saw someone else stepping onto the pool when I had it off though. Jesse had beaten me to the punch; I guessed he must have started stripping as soon as Gabi was vomited up. I shrugged and pulled my shirt back on, not wanting to spend any more time than necessary naked in the freezing chamber. Ryan helped Gabi get most of the gunk out of her hair and put on some clothes.

Jesse reached the center of the pool, and looked down at the substance he was standing on. I could tell that he was shivering, whether it was from the cold, from fear, or from both I couldn't tell. The thing began creeping up his body, as it had Gabriella before him. It flowed over his feet, and then up his calves before reaching his toned thighs. He gasped as the black rivulets wrapped around his dick and crept over his ass, seeping into every nook and cranny. "Oh God. It's a top." Jesse said. I shuddered at the thought of what I was going to have to go through all too soon. It covered his stomach and crept up his hairless chest. Then it surged down his arms and over his head all at once. He opened his mouth, it looked like he was trying to scream, but it flooded down his throat in a ropy rivulet of goo, and then coursed up his nose. His head vanished in the pool's dark embrace and it pulled him beneath the surface, his form vanishing from sight. The hyena-things chant never once faltered.

Again all sense of time seemed to vanish. I stood staring at the pool like I was in some kind of trance. When at last it expelled Jesse's shivering form I didn't even spare him a glance, but instead pulled my shirt off and unfastened my jeans. I hadn't worn a belt; there weren't any I was willing to lose. I pulled my shoes off, and then my socks, then slid my pants and boxers down in one motion. As soon as the thing was still I looked around at the others. Joey and Ryan were tending to Jesse, Gabriella was shivering at the edge of the pool, and Sharpay gave me a nod. I stepped out onto the pool, not expecting it to hold my weight, but somehow it did. It felt a little like stepping on warm mud, which was refreshing given how cold the room had become.

I walked out to the middle of the pool. Watching each of my breaths form a small cloud in front of me. I reached the heart of the chamber, and looked down at the black goop beneath my feet. I felt the warmth begin to creep up from my feet, and turned my head to see that black droplets were streaming up the back of my calves. It enveloped my feet then, and traveled up the front of my body to my thighs. It surged between my legs, and pressed into me. I felt the gunk pumping into me, touching me in places even Ryan had never been. I gasped in pain and a little bit of pleasure, then watched as twin lines of warmth spiraled along my dick to its tip, and then surged inside. I had to have a catheter once when I was a kid, after they took out my appendix, this felt a thousand times worse. I felt it pushing into me, and it was still rising around me. It reached my chest, and seemed almost to linger as it flooded over my nipples and then up towards my neck. I felt more of it pump into me, it seemed like it had completely filled my intestines and was working its way into my stomach. The warmth flowed down my arms, holding them in place and binding my fingers together. I felt like I was going to throw up, and opened my mouth. The stream of black goo that had entered through my ass exploded from my mouth coursing over my face.

I felt myself falling, the warmth enveloping me. It seemed like I fell for a long time, and then it felt like I hit the bottom. Pain exploded through me. I could feel it moving inside of me, ripping me apart. It was in me, in my nose, my mouth, my ears, my eyes, my stomach, my lungs; it even felt like it was flooding through my blood. It expanded, ripping me apart from the inside out. We'd been wrong, I thought, it was going to kill me, there was no way anyone, no way anything could survive this. But the pain didn't stop, and I didn't die, though I started to wish that I would. The thing was in my head too, I could feel it sifting through my thoughts, through my pain. My life flashed before my eyes, and I thought for sure I was about to die, but I still didn't.

I felt movement, and was flung clear of the warm and painful goo onto the edge of the pool. I felt someone's hands grab me, but I couldn't think. I coughed wads of the thing out of my lungs, and then I vomited out even more of the goop. I took a long ragged breath, the icy air burned my lungs. I blinked the slime from my eyes, and looked up at the pool in time to see Joey pulled beneath the surface. I was lying on my side, I looked up and saw Ryan's face leaning close to me, concern in his eyes.

"How was it?" He asked.

"Hell." I croaked out before coughing up some more of the thing. My body shook with a spasm as I coughed. Every inch of my body still hurt, especially my ass. I felt like I'd been violated. I felt like the thing had raped every cell in my body. Ryan held me through the coughing fit, his hand pushing my hair out of my face.

"You'd better, strip." I said, gasping for breath. "You're next."

"You sure you're okay?" He asked.

I nodded, even though I was far from sure, and pushed him up. However much it hurt, however disgusting the thing was, this was the only way. I wished I could take the thing again in his place, of all of us Ryan didn't deserve what was about to happen to him, but there was no other way.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

The thing spit a very human Joey up. Jesse looked at his boyfriend, and tried to reach out for him, but was still too exhausted from his own experience in the pit. Gabriella had recovered a little more by then, and she and Sharpay were able to nurse him through the coughing and vomiting. I turned to look at Ryan as he took his first step out onto the thing. I watched as he crossed to the center, as the vile stuff flooded over his body, and as it at last pulled him under.

I shivered, and realized I was still naked. I crawled around the edge of the pool to where I'd left my clothes, and put them on. The thing's chant continued; the candlelight never wavered. I put my clothes on with some difficulty, every muscle in my body ached, a feeling that I'd almost forgotten after months of being a werewolf. I heard Jesse swear, and looked across the pool to where Joey was still recovering, his body was twisting, and over the chant I heard the familiar pops. I guessed that however long we'd been down here, the moon must have still been full up above. Joey was too tired to even try fighting it, in less than a minute he was a shaggy brown wolf again.

The thing in the pool heaved again, spitting Ryan out right next to me. I crawled to his side, and picked him up as best I could. I realized that he wasn't breathing, but fought my fear at that down. Of course he wasn't breathing, the black shit was still in his lungs, and he didn't need to breath. His eyes opened and he heaved out the contents of his lungs onto me. Most of it ran off and flowed back into the pool, but some stained my clothes. I patted his back, helping him cough up the remainder of the gunk, and then turned his head before the vomiting could start.

Gabriella joined us on the edge with Ryan's clothes, and I was relieved to see that she looked a lot better, which meant the rest of us would recover too. Sharpay took a step towards us, but then froze and looked at the chanting thing. She sighed and began taking off her clothes, it would be her turn next, as soon as the candles burned black if the thing had been telling the truth.

The thing's chant changed for the first time in what felt like days but couldn't have been more than a few hours if Joey's form was still a reliable indication. "Ya Ya Shupnikkurat. Ya Motichian." The room grew colder, the darkness more oppressive. I could almost feel the darkness pressing against my skin. "Ya Ya Shupnikkurat. Ya Motichian." The thing continued its new chant. The candle flames guttered, threatening to go out in an unfelt wind. The candlelight faded, plunging the entire room into absolute darkness. I could still hear the nearby candles burning, but they didn't give any light at all.

"Oh great. How am I supposed to find my way to the middle without light?" Sharpay asked.

No one answered her.

"Uh, guys?"

Joey barked.

"What?" Gabriella asked.

"Nothing. Just making sure you were still here." There was a pause and the sound of a wet footstep. "Well, here goes nothing."

We didn't hear anything except for the flames and the chant for a long time. Not even a splash when the pool took Sharpay under. When there'd been light time had seemed to stop, I had no idea how long we'd each been under the surface of the gunk, but now in the darkness, with only the chant to listen to, time seemed to drag on forever. I counted the number of times it went through the chant, or tried to. I lost count around three-hundred.

Ryan hadn't had time to put on his clothes before the lights went out. I held his naked body close, rubbing him to try and keep him warm. I noticed that his hair stank like the pool, and imagined that mine couldn't be much better. I wasn't sure if there was anything that would ever make me feel clean again and wondered if there would be anyway to get the smell out of our hair. If there wasn't then I was prepared to shave my head. I didn't think Ryan would look too bad with a shaved head, temporarily of course, but the thought of either Sharpay or Gabriella shaving her head almost made me giggle. I held the laughter in, this wasn't the time or the place for it, but I think Ryan felt me shaking with the effort. He didn't say anything though.

I heard a small splash, followed by a cough in the darkness off to our left. It was followed by the sound of someone vomiting; I guessed that Sharpay had been puked up by the pool. The thing stopped chanting and the candles flickered back to life; the darkness and most of the cold drained out of the cavern. I could see Sharpay lying on the shore of the thick black pool, heaving up another lungful of the muck.

Gabriella went to her side and helped her up. Jesse circled around the pool and gathered the blonde's clothes, then carried them over to her. Gabriella nodded and took them. I turned my attention from Sharpay to her twin and helped him get dressed.

"Uh, guys?" Jesse asked.

"What?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Where'd the corpse-eater go?"

I turned to look at where it had been kneeling during the chant, it wasn't there. I turned around, searching every bit of the chamber the candlelight reached; it was nowhere to be seen.

Ryan looked around too, and then sighed. "Come on, let's get out of here." He took a step towards the chamber's entrance.

"Do you know the way?" Gabriella asked.

Ryan froze.

"And we don't have any lights." Jesse said, flicking the switch on his flashlight. Nothing happened. "Even my watch is dead." He held up his wrist with the golden Rolex Ryan's parents had given him.

"You brought that down here?" Sharpay asked between coughs.

Jesse shrugged. "I forgot I had it on."

Gabriella looked down at the still burning candles, they were a little more than half burned. "We should put some of these out. If we take them all with us, they might last until we get out of here."

"And if they don't?" Ryan asked.

Gabriella shrugged. "We make torches from our clothes."

I licked my fingers and snuffed out the nearest one, taking a moment to examine it. It didn't look like the store bought candles; it wasn't slim and consistent, but squat, irregular, and a little greasy. "What are they made of?" I asked, looking at Gabi.

She looked at the burning one near her. "Some sort of tallow."

Ryan looked from her to the candle she was staring at. "What sort of tallow?"

"There's really no way to tell without a lab, and I'm not sure I want to know." She said with a shudder.

"Wait, what's tallow?" I asked.

"Normally, beef fat." Jesse said.

"Normally?"

"Look, Troy. I don't see a lot of cows down here, do you?" Gabi said before snuffing out the candle nearest to her.

I reached out and pried the one I'd snuffed off the floor, where the melted fat had anchored it to the ground. We snuffed all but two of the candles, and then gathered them all up.

"Feeling well enough to lead us out, Shar?" Ryan asked, concern in his voice.

His twin nodded. "I think so. Anything that will get me away from here and closer to a hot bath."

We followed Sharpay and her uncanny sense of direction out of the room and up into the darkness. Even with her leading the way we hit more than one dead end and had to backtrack until she thought we'd returned to the path we'd taken down. We couldn't move too fast either, without risking the candles going out. Jesse and I were carrying the lit ones, and I kept having to turn it to keep the melted tallow from running onto my hand, so I wasn't paying much attention to where we were going, but eventually we reached the king's chamber again.

The single urn was still smoking in the middle of the cavern, but the tablet was nowhere to be seen. No one said anything, it wasn't surprising that the thing had beaten us here, and it also wasn't surprising that it had been able to carry it. After our dip in the pool down below, I didn't think any of us were even capable to feeling surprise anymore. Sharpay led us up and out of the nest with more certainty now, she knew the passageways from the king's chamber very well by now. The last of our candles was almost gone when we reached the sewers, so we hurried and sloshed our way through the muck to the ladder up to the street and my truck.

I was holding the last candle, so Ryan went up first, lifting the manhole cover and looking out into the street before lifting it up and setting it aside. "Good news." He called down. "It's almost dawn, so Joey should be able to climb out in a few minutes." I blinked. I hadn't even considered how we were going to get Joey up there. I looked at him, still stuck in his wolf form. I was supposed to try and help him with that tonight, I remembered as though the conversation of a few hours ago had been years ago.

Gabriella and Sharpay went up next. I handed Jesse the stub of the last candle and climbed up the ladder, while he waited for his boyfriend to change and have the thumbs he'd need to get up the ladder. The street ran East to West, so the morning sun was easy enough to see when it broke the horizon. I heard a chorus of wet pops echoing from the sewer entrance.

"Eww… That's really gross Joey." Jesse's voice carried up.

"You're not the one standing naked in sewage." Joey said. "Oh God, it's all over my hands."

"Hurry up and get up here you two." I called down. "Before someone decides to go to work and sees us."

Jesse took off his shirt, and Joey tied it around his waist, doing his best to preserve some modesty, and then both climbed up. I shoved the manhole cover back into place, freezing and looking at the nearby houses when it made a loud clank after falling into place. I ran to the truck, this time Joey and Jesse rode with me in the cab, while the others rode in the bed. It would've been a little awkward driving through town with a naked man in the back. The smell of the sewage which had soaked our pants and Joey's limbs was almost overpowering, it got worse when I turned the heat on. I considered burning the truck along with my clothes. Being a werewolf was getting really expensive.

When we reached my house, I pulled the truck into the garage next to the Mustang so that Joey would have some privacy getting out. Sharpay was the first one out of the truck and into the house, running to my old bathroom and locking the door. I made everyone else strip in the garage, there was no way I was letting all those stinky clothes into my clean house. Ryan and I let Joey and Jesse use the master bathroom before us, Joey had been the one on all fours in the sewage after all.

Sharpay still wasn't out of the shower when the boys came out of my bathroom, and I knew there wouldn't be any hot water left. As much as I hate cold showers, I hated the stench in my hair more, so Ryan and I climbed in. Sure enough the water was icy and uncomfortable, but we still took the time to scrub every last inch of each other's bodies. We didn't smell so bad anymore, but I still felt dirty on the inside, the touch of the thing in the pool left me feeling like there was dirt grinding in my joints. Ryan didn't look much more comfortable than I felt when we got out of the shower and toweled each other off.

"Remind me never to do that again." Ryan said, attempting and failing to suppress a shiver.

I nodded. "You got it, man."

We dressed in clean clothes, which had never felt so good before, and went downstairs to find Sharpay perched in my dad's chair, Gabriella was nowhere to be seen, but I could here the water running up stairs.

"Troy, you need a bigger hot water heater." Sharpay said.

I glared at her. "Or you could not take three hour showers." I said.

"Please, don't be so melodramatic." She said. "It was an hour, tops."

I was trying to think of a suitable comeback to being called melodramatic by Sharpay of all people, but Jesse distracted me. "So, do you think it worked?" He asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know."

"We'll have to wait a few months I guess." Ryan said with a shrug, and then took a seat on the sofa.

"That thing better not have tricked us. If I went through that for nothing…" Joey said with a hint of anger in his voice.

I sat down next to Ryan, and place my arm over his shoulders.

"Oh, and don't worry about work, boys." Sharpay said with a menacing smile. "I already let Fulton know that you all had food poisoning and that Ryan and I were concerned with your health so you wouldn't be in."

"He's really scared of you, you know that?" I asked her.

She examined her nails. "I know."

We all laughed, but our laughter turned in to yawns after a few moments. Until then I hadn't even realized that we'd been up all night, again. "We have to stop doing this." I said to no one in particular.

Ryan nodded, stifling another yawn. "Well, lets hope that we can get back to the nice normal lives of suburban werewolves now."

Sharpay coughed.

Ryan sighed. "And Nagual, fine."

We waited for Gabriella to finish showering, then Ryan and I went upstairs and collapsed onto my bed. I think I was asleep before I even hit the sheets.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33 **

Ryan prodded me awake. I rolled over and looked at the clock, it was almost one, in the afternoon or morning I was still too tired to tell or care. "Get off." I mumbled.

"Nuh uh. Time to get up sleepy-head." He said, his finger digging into my side.

"No."

"You're forcing me to use drastic measures, Troy."

"I'm sleeping." I said.

Ryan sighed. "Fine, but you brought this on yourself."

His fingers dug into my sides and started tickling me. I resisted the urge to squeal. I wasn't going to let him win. I took a deep breath and tried to pretend that I'd fallen back asleep. He knows me too well to fall for that though.

"Oh, a tough guy, huh?" Ryan said, pulling his fingers out of my sides. "Let's see what you think of this." He took a corner of the blanket and used it to tickle the bottom of my foot. I tried to hold it in, tried to pretend I was still asleep, but there was no use.

I started giggling. He continued tickling my foot and started tickling the other one too. I tried kicking at him, but I hit nothing but air. He continued torturing me. I started laughing and rolled over while he kept at it.

"You're a monster." I said between laughs.

"Guilty as charged." He said with a wicked smirk, and then leapt on top of me. I rolled just as he landed, and pinned him under me, my fingers going to the spot on his side. I started tickling him back. He squirmed beneath me.

"Quit it." He protested, trying and failing to force me off of him.

"Oh no, you asked for this." I said, continuing to tickle his naked body. I lowered myself on top of him and pressed my lips to his while still tickling him. He giggled through the kiss. I stopped torturing him and pushed my self off of him. I looked at the window, and saw bright sunlight streaming through a crack in the curtains. It was one in the afternoon, I realized. Turning to look at Ryan the sunlight was caressing his soft features, making his soft hair look like spun gold.

My fingers reached up to his face, and ran down it, lingering upon his lips. He opened his mouth a little, and took my fingers in, stroking their tips with his tongue. I looked from his lips to his eyes, they were fixed on mine. I pulled my wet fingers from his mouth and stroked his chest, then ran my fingertips around his nipple. He sighed in pleasure.

"Why are you so perfect?" I asked.

He blushed, but his eyes still didn't leave my own. "Why are you?" He asked.

Sharpay's thunderous knock interrupted our tender moment. "Get up you two, we have pizza. And I don't want to hear any sex."

Ryan rolled his eyes.

"How does she do that?" I asked.

"Twin connection." He said.

"Can we kill her? I think I have some gold around here somewhere." I asked while sitting up and stretching.

"Tempting… but my parents would never forgive me." He said.

"Really?" I asked.

He laughed. "Okay, they'd probably get over it, but we're still not killing her."

I gave him a fake pout. "You never let me have any fun."

He laughed and pulled me in for a quick kiss, then stood up and headed for the bathroom. "What do you think the odds are that there's any hot water left?" He asked.

"Sharpay's already up." I said. "I don't think there's any hot water left in the neighborhood."

He sighed and went into the bathroom. I heard him turn on the shower and yelp. I went into the bathroom and sprayed on some deodorant and wet my hair in the sink. There was no way I was taking another cold shower right now. I figured I could wait a few hours until the hot water heater refilled.

"Chicken." Ryan said, climbing out of the shower with a shiver.

"Or just smarter than you." I said with a smile.

Ryan cuffed the back of my head.

"Ow. What?"

"Don't what me." Ryan said with a glare.

I embraced him from behind and kissed the back of his cold neck. "Oh come on, you know I didn't mean it. You're way smarter than me."

His face split into a grin. "I know. I just like to hear you say it."

I cuffed the back of his head.

"Ow. What?"

"Come on, we need to get downstairs before your sister eats all the pizza." I said.

There was only one pizza left by the time we made it downstairs. We managed to fight everyone else away from it and split it between the two of us. We were both left hungry, but it was better than nothing.

We couldn't think of anything to do, so Sharpay forced us to watch her DVD of _Legally Blonde_. Ryan seemed to like it, but I felt like it was trying to suck my brains out through my eyes.

Gabi looked like she was about to vomit by the time the movie ended. But recovered when the credits finally rolled. "So… do you think we're all cured now?" She asked.

I shrugged. "Who knows?"

Sharpay bent took the DVD out of the player and put it back in its distinctive pink case. "Ugh. I hope so. If I went through that for nothing…" Sharpay left her threat hanging there.

We all nodded, I was trying not to dwell on my memories of the pool.

"But, if it did work, then that's it right? No more weird stuff, no more secret missions or crawling through the sewers?" Jesse asked.

"Well, if you don't count the fact that your boyfriend turns into a dog three nights a month as weird." Sharpay said with a look at Joey.

Joey glared at her.

"Unfortunately it still may not be over." Ryan said.

"What do you mean?" Sharpay asked, turning to look at him.

"That thing Gabi called. It may have been able to tell Paul where we are. If it did, you can bet he'll come looking for the tablet."

"But we don't have it anymore." Jesse said.

"We were the last people he saw with it." I said. "I think Ryan's right, he's going to come looking for us." I looked at Gabriella, she looked like she was trying to sink into the sofa. Well at least she felt guilty for calling up that bat winged thing.

"Well, it's one Nagual and his bat sidekick. How hard can he be to kill?" Sharpay asked.

"I don't know. How hard did that thing hit?" Ryan asked her.

Sharpay paused and sighed. "Pretty hard." She said.

"Still. She's right." Joey said. "Compared to whatever the Hell that was in that city, he's small potatoes."

Ryan nodded. "Maybe. But we can't afford to mess up now. We should have at least a week before he tries anything though. I don't think he'd try anything until closer to the new moon."

"I don't want to sound like an idiot here. But is there anything else he might be able to do?" I said looking at Gabriella.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well, he had that whistle. Is there anything else he might be able to do?"

"You mean like throw fireballs or something?" Sharpay asked. "You've been playing too many video games, Troy."

"No, he might be right." Jesse said. "There are some… well I guess spells in that scroll."

Gabriella snorted. "Ancient myths, they're no more real than leprechauns."

"Or werewolves?" I asked.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Fine. You want me to prove it to you?" She stood up and stormed into the kitchen. Curious we all followed her. She booted up the computer, which Jesse still hadn't put the case back on. I noticed with irritation that there was a layer of dust and bread crumbs on some of the inner workings that I hoped weren't too important. While the computer loaded she went to a drawer and pulled out a steak knife. She sat down in front of the computer, and we all waited for it to finish booting. It never seemed to take this long before, I cast a glare at Jesse, certain that somehow the breadcrumbs were responsible.

She opened the file that contained the images of the ancient text and scrolled down it in a hurry, seeming to know right where she was going. She examined a section of the text, and flipped through her notepad until she reached a blank page and scribbled down something. "Okay. If this is real spell, then this should be interesting." She drew the blade of the steak knife across her wrist, drawing blood.

"Gabi, what are you doing?" I said, trying to take the knife from her.

She turned away, and held the knife in the wound, allowing a little blood to pool in her hand before withdrawing it. The wound closed even as I looked at it. "Cth'nglui Fthaggua Ktynga n'gha-ghaa fia'l thagn! Iä Fthaggua!" She said, her voice echoing through the kitchen. It didn't sound like any language I'd ever heard, I wasn't even sure how she pronounced it.

I stared at her hand. Ryan looked around the kitchen.

"There. You see. Nothing." Gabriella said with a look of triumph. There was a flash of crimson light, and then her hand burst into flames. She screamed and stood up, shaking her hand. Burning blood fell to the floor and the scent of burning flesh and linoleum filled the room.

Jesse rushed to the sink and filled a large cup with water, throwing it on Gabriella and the floor. She raced to the sink and put her hand under the faucet Jesse had left on, and then held her burned appendage up, staring at her hand as though it had betrayed her. As we watched, her burned flesh healed, leaving not a trace of the fire.

"What the _fuck_ was that?" Sharpay demanded, sounding on the verge of hysterics.

Ryan put a calming hand on his twin's shoulder and we all just stared at Gabriella.

"It wasn't supposed to work." She said, sounding like she was a million miles away.

"So I guess this means he might be able to throw fireballs?" I asked.

My eyes didn't leave the terrified Gabriella, but I could see Ryan nodding out of the corner of my eye.

Gabriella just continued to stare at her hand. She started to flex a finger and then stopped. "It wasn't supposed to work." She repeated, her eyes never leaving her hand.

"Yeah, well it did." Joey said.

"It wasn't supposed to work." Gabriella said again, louder than before. She looked from her hand at last and stared at Joey. "It wasn't supposed to work." She was screaming it now.

I rushed to her side and hugged her, which felt more than a little awkward. "Shh…"

She collapsed into my embrace, burying her face in my shoulder. "It wasn't supposed to work." She mumbled.

"I know." I said, looking towards Ryan.

He shrugged.

I maneuvered Gabriella back into the living room, and onto the sofa. Ryan and Sharpay followed us. She was crying into my shoulder. "It wasn't supposed to work." She mumbled through her tears.

"Shh…" I said, stroking her hair, and feeling even more awkward then I had when I embraced her. "It was just a little fire. Don't worry about it."

She pulled back and looked at me, her eyes filled with panic. "You don't understand." She said, and sobbed again. "You don't understand. If that worked, then the other things in that scroll… the other things might…" She couldn't finish whatever she was trying to say, she started hyperventilating.

"Breath Gabi, breath." I said, patting her back it was no use though. She hyperventilated until she passed out.

I laid her unconscious body down on the couch and looked at Ryan and Sharpay.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34 **

Jesse and Joey cleaned up the kitchen, as best they could. The linoleum tile Gabi's blood had fallen on was a complete loss, I had no idea where I would get a replacement. I'd probably have to re-floor the whole kitchen.

Sharpay stayed with Gabi in the living room, the rest of us sat around the table, Jesse seated in front of the computer and looking over the file from the dead professor's hard drive.

"So what do we do now?" Joey asked.

"Should we tell Kelsi's parents?" Jesse asked.

Ryan shook his head, but then his eyes widened. "I never called to let them know we made it." He reached for his cell phone but found it dead.

I pulled mine out, and found it also dead. "Damn, forgot to recharge it after last night." I said.

"Are you still paying your phone bill?" Joey asked, pointing at the kitchen phone.

"Uh… I think so." I said.

Ryan stood up and walked to the phone, lifting it to his ear. "Well, you have a dial tone. But… uh… does anyone actually know Kelsi's number?"

We all shook our heads.

"I'd better go plug this in." I said, and took my phone upstairs. I plugged it into the charger, hoping that whatever had drained the flashlights in the nest last night had only drained the charge and not destroyed the battery. I returned downstairs and found the other three boys still in the kitchen. "We'll have to wait and see I guess."

Joey stood up. "We're going to run to the store and get a new battery for Jesse's precious watch. Do you guys need anything?"

Ryan and I shook our heads and they left, I saw Joey speed off in his Mustang.

"That boy's going to get himself killed if he keeps driving like that." Ryan said, shaking his head.

I nodded, and then had a thought. "Wait. Didn't Sharpay say she called Fulton this morning? Her phone must be working." I said.

Ryan's eyes widened again, and he nodded. I followed him into the living room, where Sharpay was still sitting next to Gabriella's unconscious form.

"Did you charge your phone?" Ryan asked.

Sharpay nodded.

"Can I borrow it?" Ryan asked.

Sharpay rolled her eyes but pointed towards her purse. "It's in there."

Ryan picked it up and fished through the purse, I looked over his shoulder and was shocked by the bewildering array of cosmetics she had in there. I wasn't even sure how they all fit. Ryan found the phone at last and pulled it out. He flipped it open and scrolled through her phone book until he found Kelsi's entry, and then pressed Send.

"Hey Kelsi, it's Ryan." He said into the receiver. "Yeah, we're all fine."

"Yeah, put your mother on."

"Hello, Mrs. Nielsen."

"Yes, we're all alive."

"No, no more bodies to hide, not yet anyway."

"Paul probably knows where we are, he's probably going to try something come the new moon."

"I think so."

"I mean I think it kept its end of the deal. There was this… it's hard to describe… it was like a living pool of slime."

"No, it wasn't pleasant." Ryan rolled his eyes.

"There's no rush. We're all pretty tired."

"Okay, we'll expect you tonight then." He clicked the phone shut and handed it back to his sister. "She wants to come see how we are."

"Duh." Sharpay said, setting her phone on the couch next to her.

"So now what?" I asked, looking from Ryan to the unconscious Gabriella.

"We could go upstairs and pick up where we left off." Ryan suggested with a wink.

Sharpay cut me off before I could agree. "No way. I'm not listening to him," she pointed at me, "screaming right now. Find something else to do."

I rolled my eyes at her and then looked back at Ryan with a mischievous grin. "Did you bring the hookah?" I asked.

Ryan's eyes lit up and he nodded. "It's in the Mustang, and that sounds like a great idea."

Sharpay glared at her brother as he headed out the front door to the driveway where he was parked, and then shot a glare at me. "You're going to kill yourselves with that thing."

"Are not. You know we can't get cancer."

She huffed and stood up, storming out of the room and going upstairs.

Ryan came back into the house, carrying the hard case of the hookah and a plastic bag holding the box of coals and assembled flavors, and carried them into the kitchen. Sharpay came back down the stairs holding a damp washcloth in her hand, I walked past her into the kitchen where Ryan was already opening the case.

"What flavor?" He asked, pointing at the bag.

I looked through it and pulled out the mint. I set it on the counter next to him.

"Just that?" He asked.

"After last night, I want something familiar, comforting, and clean." I said.

He nodded and handed me the ceramic bowl. "Fill it up."

I took it and turned it over in my hand, having no idea what to do with it. Ryan sighed. "Open the mint container, and put some in. But don't pack it too tight or the air won't move through it." I followed his instructions, hoping that I was doing it right. "Now get a piece of aluminum foil and wrap it over it." I searched the drawers until I found the Reynolds Wrap, and tore off a small piece of it. The first piece was too small to cover it, so I threw it away and got a bigger piece. I smoothed it over the top of the bowl and folded it down on the sides. "Now poke a bunch of holes in it, but don't make them too big or the ash will get in the tobacco."

I took an unused thumbtack off my mom's bulletin board, noticing as I did that it hadn't been changed in months. My game schedule and musical schedule were still posted on it. I missed my parents. I'd spent so long waiting until I was old enough to move out, and now here I was alone, and I missed them. It was a classic case of be careful what you wish for. I turned away from the board before I could dwell on those thoughts for too long, and started making tiny holes in the foil.

Ryan laughed. "Bigger than that, and more of them." I made some larger holes in the middle and started spiraling out from them. Ryan had the hookah filled with water and assembled long before I was done. "Not as easy as it looks, is it?" I shook my head and handed the bowl back to him. "So where do you want to smoke?"

I looked down at the burned spot on the floor. "Let's do it on the back porch. I think there's been enough fire in the house for one day." He nodded and handed me the two hoses before picking up the hookah and heading for the back door.

Sharpay was still sitting with Gabi when we went passed them. The washcloth she'd brought downstairs resting on the dark haired girl's brow. I raced ahead of Ryan and opened the door for him.

"Thank you, good sir." He said with a laugh as he walked passed me.

"Anytime, Mr. Evans." I said following him out and closing the sliding door behind me.

Ryan set the hookah on the ground next to the patio table. I connected the hoses, and laid them on top of the table while Ryan pulled out a cheap cigarette lighter and the tongs from his pocket, followed by the foil package of coals. He gripped a coal in the tongs, and held the lighter's flame to it. The coal started sparking, and he held it to his lips and blew on it to make sure it stayed started, then set it in the coal tray that surrounded the bowl. I watched him light second coal and blow on it, pursing his lips ever so slightly, sunlight and the sparking coal illuminating his beautiful face. For the hundredth time I wondered how I'd gotten lucky enough to land a man like him.

He placed the second coal in the tray, and lifted the first onto the head. I handed him the hose nearer to his seat, and then took the other one. He capped the hose with his thumb, and my brought mine up to my lips, pulling in. It wasn't started yet, so I only got the barest taste of smoke. I pulled again, the heat flowed into the sticky tobacco and when I exhaled the pleasing taste of mint. I capped the hose with my lower lip, and Ryan took a pull from his hose. The force of his suction caused my hose to quiver a bit on my lip. It was a little like kissing through the hookah. Ryan exhaled a cloud of smoke and capped it with his thumb.

"Cap it with your lip." I said.

He gave me a strange look, but did it. I took a deep pull, listening to the sound of smoke bubbling through the water.

His eyes widened a little. "How did you manage to make smoking a hookah sexual?" He asked before taking another puff.

"Mad skills." I said with a smile.

"You wish, Bolton." He said, then froze.

I followed the direction of his stare back to the sliding door. For the first time I noticed deep gouges in the glass. From the winged thing Gabriella had called up the night before I guessed, remembering the horrible sound it had made scratching on the door. I sighed. "Remind me that she owes me a new door." I said, taking another pull.

"I'm not looking forward to fighting that." Ryan said, taking another pull at the same time I did.

"Maybe we won't have to." I said.

Ryan gave me a long look. "You know we aren't that lucky."

I sighed again. "I know. We're cursed."

He nodded.

"Well, we still have the whistle. Maybe we can use that to send it away, or at least confuse it or something." I said.

He took another pull and then capped it with his lower lip. "Maybe. Gabi would know more." He said.

I pulled and exhaled a large cloud of smoke. "If we can ever get her near the computer again. That fire thing really freaked her out." I said.

He nodded again, taking another puff that made my lip tingle.

We sat in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying the hookah and each other's company. Joey and Jesse showed up and made their way to the back porch when the bowl was almost cashed.

"You smoked without us?" Jesse asked while pouting.

I laughed. "It's Ryan's hookah. You could buy your own you know."

Ryan picked up the tongs and knocked the coals off the bowl, then handed them to Jesse. "This head is spent. Make us a new one and you get first hit."

Jesse grumbled and took the tongs, and then used them to remove the hot ceramic piece from the hookah and carried it inside. Joey pulled up a chair, and let out a long low whistle when he saw the scratches on the door. "That thing did that?"

I nodded. "I hope so. Otherwise something else has been scratching at my back door."

"Kelsi's parents, well her mother at least, are coming over tonight. Let's not mention the fire thing." Ryan said, playing with his hose.

Joey nodded. "Tell Jesse. You don't need to worry about me. I won't even be able to talk." He said, glowering at the sky.

"Hey man, you'll get it. If not tonight then tomorrow, I promise." I said.

He shrugged. "That's not your promise to make, Troy."

Jesse returned with the fresh head, and placed it on the hookah.

Joey looked at his boyfriend, his eyes fixed on his butt. "Hey Jesse, Kelsi's mom is coming over tonight. Ryan doesn't want us mentioning Gabi's little pyrokinetic display."

Jesse shrugged. "What the alpha wolf wants, the alpha wolf gets." He said and handed Ryan the tongs and then took a seat on Joey's lap. I handed him my hose while Ryan started a fresh coal from the embers already in the tray.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35 **

I went upstairs to my old room with Joey right before sunset, leaving Ryan and Jesse smoking on the back porch. Gabriella was awake, she and Sharpay were watching Legally Blonde again, I shuddered at seeing it, and made my way up the stairs as fast as I could, dragging Joey behind me.

It was a little weird being back in my old room. I hadn't been in it more than twice since Mom had left. Joey heaved a sigh and began stripping off his clothes.

"Tonight's the night Joey. You're going to do it this time." I said, trying to sound encouraging and feeling more like my dad with each word.

He gave me a withering look. "Let's just get this over with."

"Okay. I want you to take everything Ryan has tried to teach you, and forget it."

He gave me a strange look, and then shrugged. "Done."

"When you feel the moon rise, when the tingling starts, don't try to fight your wolf down."

"How is that going to keep me from changing?" He asked.

"I thought you said you'd forgotten everything Ryan taught you?"

He sighed again. "Fine, don't fight it."

"When you fight it, you act like it isn't a part of you, but it is. Just one more little voice in the corner of your mind. It's a part of you, not the other way around."

He nodded, taking a seat on the floor at the foot of my old bed.

I felt the tingle at the base of my spine as the sunset.

"Now you can dance, you can sing, you can turn into a wolf. You don't have to dance if you don't want to. You don't have to sing if you don't want to. You don't have to turn into a wolf if you don't want to."

"You make it sound so easy." He said with his eyes clenched, I could tell he was trying to fight it.

"It is. Now stop fighting it, and just don't change."

"That's your advice? Just don't do it?" He said his eyes still clenched.

"Take a deep breath, release the wolf, and just choose not to change."

I followed my own advice without any trouble. I felt my own wolf pacing in the corners of my mind, but I knew it was just another part of me. It was as easy as I said it was.

"Now you're ready for the pièce de résistance of my strategy." I said, while picking up a pillow from the bed.

"And what's that?" Joey asked, his eyes still closed as he struggled with his inner wolf against my advice.

"Distraction." I said.

"Wha...?" He opened his eyes just in time to see me swing the pillow at his face. I dropped the pillow on top of him, and grabbed another one from the bed. He grabbed the pillow I'd left for him, and hurled it at me, but I used my pillow to bat it back at him, it hit him in the face again. He grabbed hold of it and held it in front of himself like a shield as he stood up. I took a swing at his head with my pillow, but he blocked it. "You have no idea who you're messing with here, Bolton." He said with a wicked grin.

"Bring it, Johnson. My pillow-fu is superior to yours." I said trying not to laugh as I did the worst imitation of a kung-fu movie I could manage.

Joey tried to distract me with an impromptu pillow-nunchuk routine, but I didn't fall for it. I blocked when he took a swing at my head, and then landed a blow with my pillow on the top of his.

He released his pillow and grabbed onto mine, trying to pull it from my hands. I snaked my foot out, and between his legs, then pulled it back, knocking him off balance. He fell backwards pulling me over on top of him, but he released my pillow. I rolled to my feet and chucked it at his face.

He caught the pillow and threw it back at me. It caught me in the face just as it broke apart, spilling stuffing all over me and the floor. I stood there staring down at it; I hadn't really considered the effect two Oborotni in a tug of war would have on an average pillow. He rolled to his feet and launched himself at me, knocking me backwards onto the bed and pinning me.

His eyes went wide, and my cheeks heated up. He sprang off of me, still naked, and picked up the other pillow from the ground to cover his nakedness.

"Okay." He said, gasping for breath and narrowing his eyes. "What the Hell was the point of that."

I sat up, and dusted some of the torn pillow's contents off of my clothes. "You didn't change, did you?"

His eyes went wide again, and he looked from me to the window.

I laughed. "Put your clothes back on." I said, standing up and heading for the door.

"Troy?" He asked.

I turned around to look at him. "Yeah?"

"Thanks." He said.

"No problem." I opened the door and left him to get dressed alone.

I rejoined Ryan and Jesse on the back porch, and snatched the hose from Ryan's hand before sitting down.

"Hey, that's stealing." He said.

I raised an eyebrow and took a long pull from the hookah. They'd changed the head while we'd been upstairs, I couldn't quite tell what flavor it was; mint and orange maybe? "To the victor go the spoils." I said.

"Where's Joey?" Jesse asked.

"Getting dressed." I said and then took another pull.

"Wait, you mean one night with you and he's got it under control?" Ryan asked, looking more than a little skeptical.

On queue Joey opened the sliding door and came out.

"Joey!" Jesse shouted and jumped up. He ran and pulled his boyfriend into a hug. Joey gave us an awkward smile over his excited boyfriend's shoulder, a deep blush flooding into his cheeks as his arms closed around Jesse.

"Well, if he's not going to use it." Ryan said, picking Jesse's hose up from where he'd left it on the ground and taking a puff from the hookah.

Jesse dragged Joey back to the table, and pushed him down into a chair before taking a seat on his lap. Jesse looked around for the hose he'd abandoned, and shot Ryan a glare. "Hey. That was my hose." He said.

"Technically they're both my hoses." Ryan said, taking another pull and exhaling the cloud of smoke towards the two boys.

I sighed and handed my hose to Jesse, who took it with an appreciative glance and took a long pull. Then he turned around, without exhaling, and pulled Joey into an open mouthed kiss that left Joey breathless. "Geese, if I'd known that not changing would get you this excited I'd have done it months ago."

Jesse smiled and took another pull.

"What flavor is that?" Joey asked.

"Orange/mint." Ryan answered before handing me the hose he'd stolen from Jesse. Sharpay pulled back the drapes and knocked on the sliding door. We looked in her direction and she motioned for us to come in. "Kelsi's mother must be here." Ryan took the tongs from the edge of the tray and knocked the smoldering coals off the head.

I stood up and, offered Ryan my hand, helping him up. We all went in to find the whole rest of the pack there; Kelsi, both her parents, and Jason. "What's up guys?" I asked, closing the door after Joey and Jesse.

"I think that's what we should be asking you, Troy." Kelsi's mom said, her eyes looking passed me at the scratch marks on the glass.

"Uh, yeah. That's my fault Mrs. Nielsen." Gabriella said.

"So I heard." Kelsi's mom said before taking a seat on the couch. Her husband took a seat at her side. I went into the kitchen, followed by Jason, and we carried out some chairs for everyone else to sit on. Joey took one, and Jesse took a seat on his lap again, what was with him today? I hadn't seen Jesse this playful in… forever; well maybe at Sea World, maybe. Mrs. Nielsen had noticed too. "You're looking better, Jesse."

Jesse nodded. "I'm just happy to be rid of that… whatever it was."

"Let's hope you are rid of it." Kelsi's dad said.

"What do you mean?" Jesse asked, looking nervous.

Mrs. Nielsen glared at her husband and then looked at Jesse. "He means that we can't be sure the thing did what it said it did."

"It better have." Sharpay said. "If I went through all of that for nothing…" She let the idle threat hang there.

"Well, we won't have any way of knowing for a few more months at least. I won't really be comfortable until it's been at least a year." Mrs. Nielsen said. "But more importantly, what did you go through? What did it do?" She asked, looking from Sharpay to Ryan.

"Uh… well, there was this pool of black slime, it was kind of… bubbly and looked a little bit like tapioca pudding. He lit some candles around it, chanted, and had us be swallowed by it one by one. Then it spit us out. That's all there was to it."

"It swallowed you?" Mr. Nielsen asked.

"Well... sort of. It was a liquid, but we were able to walk on it. When we reached the center it would, run up our bodies and then pull us under. A little while later it would spit that person up, and the next of us would go."

"What happened in the pool?" Kelsi's mom asked.

I swallowed, trying not to think about it.

"I don't know." Ryan said. "It hurt a lot, that's all I remember."

We all nodded our agreement.

"And it was the same for each of you?" Mrs. Nielsen asked, looking around at each of us.

Everyone else nodded. "Well, when the five of us were doing it, the thing was chanting one thing, and the candles were burning white. When Sharpay did it the thing was chanting something different and the candles all went black."

Mrs. Nielsen nodded. "Interesting. I suppose that makes some sense." She turned to look at Jesse. "I need to see how much this may have affected you, Jesse. Go change please, I want to examine you."

Jesse rolled his eyes, but placed a kiss on Joey's cheek and then stood up. "Alright." He went upstairs, unbuttoning his shirt as he went. Less than three minutes later he came back down the stairs in his strange hybrid form, he was still a spotted wolf with a little bit of a Mohawk thing going on. I was a little surprised; I'd almost expected him to just be a pure wolf now.

Kelsi's mom nodded again. "So it was either incapable, or unwilling to remove the Bouda taint from you. Interesting."

Joey rolled his eyes. "I hate that word. It's always bad news."

Jason laughed.

Kelsi cuffed the back of his head.

"Ow. What?"

Everyone else in the room laughed.

Mrs. Nielsen stopped chuckling at Jason's plight and turned to look at Jesse again. "Thank you, Jesse. You can go change back." She then turned to look at Gabriella. "So tell me more about this thing you called up, and this Paul that has Ryan so worried."

Gabriella frowned, and I caught her looking at the hand she'd burned earlier in the day. She flexed the fingers and then closed it into a fist before looking Kelsi's mom in the eyes. I looked up and saw Sharpay meet my gaze, she arched a single eyebrow. Apart from the two of us nobody else seemed to have noticed Gabriella's odd gesture. "It was just something I saw in that file Jesse found. Something about 'Summoning the Winged Servitor', and the symbols looked a lot like the one on the whistle. So I blew it, I didn't actually think anything was going to happen."

"And it's responsible for those marks." Mr. Nielsen asked, pointing towards the curtains that hid the damaged sliding door.

Gabriella nodded. "It was trying to get in, or let me know it was here, or something."

Kelsi's mom looked from Gabriella to Ryan. "You're certain it was the same type of thing that this Paul had with him in Arizona?"

Ryan nodded. "Positive."

"Do you know for certain if it was the same one?" She asked.

Ryan shook his head. "No. I didn't get that good of look at either one, and I'm not even sure how I'd tell them apart if I did."

"So, then you're right. We have to assume that this Paul is coming, and that he'll have at least one of the things with him." Mrs. Nielsen said, closing her eyes in thought. "I'm getting too old for this." She said with a small sigh before looking at each of us. "Think carefully. Did he display any other… unusual aptitudes?"

I tried to think back to the night, but nothing stood out in my mind. Except for the whistle nothing he did was unusual for a Nagual with a little bit of combat training. I looked around the room at everyone else who had been there, and then back to Kelsi's mom. We all shook our heads.

"Well, that's good. If he's coming, he won't want to move until closer to the new moon, when he knows you'll be at your weakest. But he knows you have Sharpay on your side," Jesse came back down the stairs at that point, and took a seat on the ground at Joey's feet, "and he'll know that Jesse was able to change during the last new moon, although we can't count on that this time."

"Why not?" Sharpay asked, looking from Mrs. Nielsen to Jesse.

"If I'm correct then he doesn't have the ability to change out of cycle. He just has two separate cycles. Oborotni change during the full moon, Nagual change during the new moon, and the Naga change while the sun is in the constellation Ophiuchus. From what little I've found out about the Bouda, I believe that their transformations were governed by a particular moon sign, but I'm not sure which one yet, and those can be difficult to calculate."

"How old are you anyway?" Jesse asked her.

Joey cuffed the back of his head.

"Ow. What?"

Kelsi's mom flashed him a glare. "It's impolite to ask a lady her age." She then checked her watch. "But lets just say that I'm old enough that it's well past my bed time. So since everything seems okay here, I think we'll be going."

"Mom, is it alright if Jason and I stay for a while?" Kelsi asked.

Mrs. Nielsen looked us over. "Well, I suppose it's as safe as it's ever going to be. But don't read anything." Then she stood up and was followed to the door by her husband.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36 **

With the parents gone, we took Jason out back to introduce him to the joy that is the hookah. We invited Kelsi and Gabi, but they seemed to share Sharpay's opinion of the thing. Kelsi and Sharpay glared at us as we made our way out the door. Jesse checked the head while Ryan started some fresh coals.

"So how was work?" I asked Jason while the coals smoldered in the tray.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Fulton's out for blood. I'd lie low next week if I was you."

"Good thing he's so afraid of Sharpay." Ryan said, lifting one of the coals onto the head, and handing a hose to Joey.

Jason laughed. "Yeah, for you." He turned to look at me. "So what are you planning for your birthday?"

My eyes went wide. "Shit. That's next week, isn't it."

Jason laughed again. "Yeah, next Sunday. You forgot your own birthday? And people call me dumb."

I gave him a half-glare. "Hey. I've been a little preoccupied with not having my soul consumed by a monster from another planet."

The hookah bubbled as Joey took a long pull from it.

"I don't suppose you have a gold knife?" Ryan asked before taking a puff of his own from it and handing the hose to Jason.

Jason took it, and stared at it. "Uh… no. If you can get me some gold I might be able to electroplate something."

"Wait? Electroplate? You know what that means?" Jesse asked.

Jason glared at the thinner boy. "Yes, I know what electroplate means."

I looked at the uncapped hose in Jason's hands. "Hey man, puff or pass."

He looked at the hose again, and held it up to his lips. "How do I do this?"

"Just breathe it in." Joey said.

Jason held it to his lips and took a deep breath then pulled it back and exhaled a cloud of thick smoke. "Wow." He said, and took another hit. "That's weird."

"Cap it with your thumb when you're not smoking." Joey said.

Jason looked at the hose and placed his thumb over it. "Why?"

"Because otherwise when he sucks on this hose it'll just pull air from yours." Jesse said.

Jason nodded and looked at the hookah. "So where did you guys get this?"

"Ryan bought it in Arizona." I said. "But there's a coffee shop over by the theatres that serves them."

Jason took another pull, and smiled as he exhaled, then remembered to cap the hose. "Kelsi's going to kill me for this."

"You could always convert her." Ryan said.

"How would I do that?" Jason asked.

"Well, this worked for me." Joey took a very long pull from the hookah, and then pulled Jesse into an open mouthed kiss, forcing the smoke into his boyfriend. When they were done Jesse pulled back and exhaled the much reduced cloud with a look of contentment on his face.

"Have I mentioned how much I love you?" Jesse asked, running his fingers through Joey's dark hair.

Jason just blinked at them; his mouth was hanging open. He looked like he was about to say something, but instead just brought the hookah's hose to his mouth and took a long pull. Jason followed that with another pull and then handed the hose to me.

I took a long pull, the flavor was starting to get a little ashy, we'd have to switch heads soon, or just put the hookah away for the night, we'd been smoking it for hours already. But, then again, Jason had just gotten here, and it had been a long time since we'd been able to hang out.

"So, your birthday is next Sunday?" Joey asked, handing his hose to Jesse.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"What do you think the odds are Paul will attack that night?"

"I'd think that it's too close to the full moon for him to risk it. But, it is my birthday, which means that with the way our luck goes he'll end up summoning something half way through the party." I answered before taking a long drag from the hose.

Ryan sighed. "When exactly did we get cursed? Is there something we can do about it?"

"Garlic?" Jason asked.

"That's for vampires." Jesse said.

Jason shrugged. "It couldn't hurt."

"Right, take a note Troy. From now on extra garlic on all our pizzas." Ryan said.

I laughed and took another pull. "You know, I could go for some more pizza right now."

"We had that for breakfast though." Joey said.

"So?" Jason asked.

"You'll have to forgive them, they're jocks." Ryan said with a smile. "I think they could eat pizza morning, noon, and night for the next century and not think there was anything wrong with it."

Jason rolled his eyes. "That's because there wouldn't be. Duh."

Everyone on the porch laughed.

"What do you think the girls are doing?" Jesse asked.

"Probably watching _Legally Blonde_, again." I said.

"I love that movie." Joey said.

"You would." Jason said.

I passed my hose back to Ryan, and he took a pull. "Ugh, it's ashy. Time for a new head?" He asked looking from me to Jesse.

Jesse nodded. "Yeah, but it's Joey's turn to make it."

Joey sighed, and pushed Jesse off of his lap. Ryan handed him the tongs and Joey removed the head and carried it inside, where sure enough I could hear Reese Witherspoon talking. I rolled my eyes.

"You really should give the movie a chance, Troy. It's not that bad." Ryan said.

I grunted noncommittally. Jason rolled his eyes and made a stupid face at me. Ryan just shook his head and prodded at one of the embers still smoldering in the hookah's tray.

"So, after we deal with Paul, that's it right?" Jesse asked. "I mean, there aren't any other ancient horrors lurking around town are there?"

"Just Kelsi's mom." Jason said with a laugh.

"And if Paul isn't working alone." Ryan said.

"Now you're just being pessimistic." Jesse said.

"No, I'm being realistic. After the last year I'm not taking anything for granted." Ryan said.

Jesse sighed. "A year ago my parents were still alive."

Jason gave him a pat on the back. "Mine too."

Jesse gave him a weak smile.

Ryan and I just stared at each other in the awkward silence that descended on the patio. Joey came back out with a freshly packed head, breaking the silence.

"They're doing each other's hair." Joey said before placing the head on the hookah. "They're in full blown slumber party mode."

"Great." I said. "It's only a matter of time before they start playing truth or dare."

Ryan shuddered at the thought. "I don't get what Sharpay's obsession with that game is. You have no idea how many times we played it growing up." He shuddered again.

"Bad memories?" I asked.

"Just so long as no one ever sees the pictures." Ryan said, starting a fresh coal.

"Pictures?" Jesse asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I've said too much already."

"Wait, there are pictures?" I asked. "Why hasn't your mom ever shown them to me?"

"Because she knows that if she did, I'd have to kill both of you." Ryan said with a glare.

"Wow, those must be some pictures." Joey said, picking up the hose he and Jesse had been sharing.

"Don't think I won't kill you too." Ryan said as he placed the coal on the head. "What flavor?"

"It's a surprise." Joey said, before taking the first pull and getting the head started.

Ryan rolled his eyes and took a pull. He exhaled slowly, trying to analyze the flavor I guessed. "Watermelon?" He asked.

Joey nodded. "That's part of it."

Ryan took another pull. "I don't know." He handed the hose to Jason.

Jason took a short puff, and let it roll off his tongue. "Coconut." He said.

Joey nodded again. "Yup, watermelon and coconut."

Jason took a longer pull, and held the smoke in his mouth. He puffed it out and managed to shape it into a few rings.

"How'd you learn to do that?" Jesse asked, staring at the ghostly rings as they vanished into the warm night air.

Jason shrugged. "Just picked it up somewhere."

Jesse tried to get the secret of how to blow smoke rings out of Jason, but Jason ignored all of his begging and refused to give in. He just sat there blowing more smoke rings. About an hour, and a head later Kelsi came out back, shutting the sliding door behind her. Her hair had been put into some sort of frilly braid, by Sharpay I guessed. She glared at the hookah, the hose in her boyfriend's hand, and the smoke rings lingering in the air in front of him.

"That had better just be tobacco." She said.

Jason sighed and handed me the hose. "Yes. Just tobacco."

"Hiding from truth or dare?" Ryan asked as Kelsi walked up and sat down in the only vacant chair, pulling it away from the hookah.

Kelsi shuddered. "I tried to get Gabi to come with me, but she said it sounded like fun."

"Hey. If she wants to shoot herself in the foot, that's her problem." Ryan said. "I didn't know she was such a masochist though."

"Can you even play that game with only two people?" Jason asked.

Ryan nodded. "You can, but you shouldn't. Especially with Sharpay."

"So that means we're trapped back here then?" Joey asked.

Ryan nodded. "There's no force on this, or any other planet, that could get me to go in there right now."

"Aren't you a little curious what they're doing?" Jesse asked.

Ryan shook his head. "No."

I laughed and took a pull; Joey had made another coconut and watermelon mix. It wasn't as clean tasting as the mint blends were, but it wasn't too sweet tasting either. "You should really give this a try, Kels."

She shook her head. "Pass."

"What is it with girls hating on the hookah?" Joey asked.

"Did you just sat 'hating on?'" Kelsi asked.

Joey nodded.

"See, that's why. It's killing your brain cells." Kelsi said.

"Jason better watch out then." Joey said.

Jesse cuffed the back of his head.

"Ow. What?"

"Be nice." Jesse said, and then stole the hose from Joey's hand.

"Only I can talk about him that way." Kelsi said with a laugh.

Jason groaned. "I'm not that stupid. Don't I get a say in this?"

We all looked at him.

"Of course not." Kelsi said with a smile. "And since you had to ask, it proves you are that dumb." She stuck her tongue out at him.

Jason groaned again. "Everyone's a critic."

"Get used to it." Joey said. "If you're going to major in film you'll be saying that a lot."

"So you're majoring in film?" I asked Jason, it was the first I'd heard of it. But I knew that he and Joey had a lot of time on the job to talk while I was being menaced by kids who didn't know which end of a golf club was which.

Jason nodded. "Yeah. What about you?"

I shrugged. "I'm still undeclared. I have no idea what I want to do."

"Same." Joey said, and then pointed his thumb at Jesse. "He's majoring in computer science."

"What about you Ryan?" Kelsi asked.

Ryan shrugged too. "No clue. I haven't had a lot of time to really think about it. Sharpay's majoring in theater, of course. What about you? Music?"

Kelsi nodded and laughed. "What else?"

"What's Gabriella majoring in?" I asked.

"Microbiology." Jesse said, taking a puff from the hookah. Kelsi shifted her chair as the slight breeze blew the cloud towards her.

I took a final puff from the hose I was holding and offered it to Ryan.

"I thought it'd be chemistry for sure." Ryan said before taking a pull.

"That was before she became a werewolf." Jesse said. "You know how much she hates to not understand anything."

Ryan and I both nodded, it was that same trait which had led to her calling up the winged thing the night before, and to trying to light my kitchen on fire earlier that day. I suppose it could be a good thing in some people, we wouldn't have any of comforts of modern civilization if there weren't people like that. But Gabi was making it a habit to take it too far.

"She should watch that." Kelsi said, as though echoing my thoughts. "There are things out there that you shouldn't know too much about. Things out there that scare my mother."

"Yeah, she whistled one up last night." I said, pointing at the gouges in the sliding door. "She owes me a new door."

"It's weird owning a house, isn't it?" Jason asked.

I nodded. It hadn't occurred to me that he'd inherited his parent's place. It still felt weird knowing that his parents were dead. I didn't know how he went on; I couldn't imagine what it would be like to know your parents were dead. I guessed that of all of us on the porch on Joey and Jesse could identify with him. An awkward silence descended on the porch again, but it didn't last long before being broken by a shrill squeal of laughter from inside. I couldn't tell if it was Gabriella or Sharpay. Everyone's eyes drifted towards the door. "What do you think they're doing in there?" I asked.

"You remember what Kelsi just said, about things you shouldn't know too much about? That's one of them." Ryan said, handing his hose to Jason.

Joey arched an eyebrow as he watched Jason take a short pull from the hose. "Jason, I can't help but notice that you're girlfriend has joined us, but isn't interested in smoking."

Jason and Kelsi both gave Joey a strange look. "Yeah, and?" Jason asked.

Joey rolled his eyes and gave Jesse a quick peck on the cheek. Jason stared at the two boys, still confused. Jesse sighed and took a pull before handing the hose back to Joey, blowing the smoke in his direction as he did so.

"I don't get it." Jason said.

The two boys looked at each other, and then Joey turned back to Jason. "Do you want me to give you another demonstration?"

Jason's eyes finally registered understanding. "Uh… no thanks. And I'm not doing that. I like my spleen where it is."

"Baby, it'll grow back." Joey said, before taking a puff and pulling Jesse into another open mouthed kiss. The smoke leaking from their mouths as they made out.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37 **

The weekend flew by, and Monday brought us back to Lava Springs. Fulton was a beast, for the first time I was glad to get away from him and deal with the members' kids. I didn't envy Joey and Jesse the day they were going to have. The kids were getting better at least, more than a few could hit the ball straight, and the number of clubs flying at my head was smaller. I got clipped by one though, when Ryan showed up for a personal lesson in a tight green polo shirt and matching hat, not that he needed one.

"Ow." I rubbed the spot on my head where the club had impacted me.

Ryan snickered, and pulled his golf bag off his cart.

"Hey." I said, glaring at him.

"Sorry, I didn't know I was so distracting." He said with a smile as he carried the bag up to the driving line.

"Liar." I said, picking up the club and returning it to the little terror that seemed Hell bent on killing me. The kid didn't even apologize.

Ryan pulled a club from his bag, and grabbed it by the wrong end. "I'm ready for my lesson, Mr. Bolton." He said, pitching his voice up to sound like a little boy.

I sighed. "You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?"

He shook his head. "I have to make sure you're earning the fat paycheck my parents are giving you."

I stuck my tongue out at him, and took the club from his hands, flipping it over as I did so. "Try holding it this way, you'll hit the ball way farther."

He smiled, and took the club from me, then proceeded to knock the ball to the end of the small range. "Hey, you're right." He said.

I punched him in the arm. "I know I am. And you're a brat, you know that?"

He leaned in and placed a kiss on my cheek. "And you love it." He said after pulling back. He hit another ball to the end of the range.

"Yeah, I guess I'm a masochist." I said with a laugh.

* * *

The week sped by, just as the weekend had. Even though we all knew that Paul was coming for us, we didn't spend much time preparing. There wasn't much we could do; there was no telling what bizarre powers he might have, so there wasn't anything we could do to prepare. To make matters worse he'd be attacking when only Sharpay, and maybe Jesse, would be effective against him. The only thing in our favor was the hope that we'd be able to use the whistle to either distract or get rid of any winged henchmen he brought with him.

For one week, at least, we focused on just being normal teenagers spending their last summer together before college. Of course, as normal teenagers, that meant I was focused entirely on my impending nineteenth birthday. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but Ryan and Sharpay wouldn't be satisfied with anything less than a spectacle that could qualify for a Tony Award. I tried convincing them that a barbeque at my house was all I wanted. Yeah, that didn't work so well. My birthday was Sunday, but they scheduled the party for Saturday night so we'd have time to recover. They booked the area at Lava Springs where the talent show and their last birthday had been held; also the place where our State Championship party had been held. I noticed that for once they weren't planning an exclusive after party at the Lava Springs pool, which made sense seeing as the last one had ended with Sharpay becoming a Nagual and Zeke dying, but we were planning on hanging out at their house after. It was amazing any of us were comfortable at Lava Springs. So many horrible things had happened there, though for Ryan and I at least there were a few happy memories to hold onto; like the night I'd given him my class ring, the night he'd accidentally bitten me.

Sharpay and Ryan, mostly Sharpay, invited as much of the East High senior class as they could find, but most didn't show. I was still the Son of the East High Slayer after all, and most of them wanted to forget about me. Ryan talked to me about inviting Chad, but I wouldn't let him. I didn't think Chad would show up anyway, and even if he did I had no idea what I'd say to him. I knew Ryan and Chad had become friends the summer before, but that chapter of my life was closed as far as I was concerned.

Despite being my birthday, Ryan and Sharpay felt the need to perform. They did a pepped up version of Happy Birthday, with distinct salsa overtones, that Sharpay claimed Kelsi had written for them, but I couldn't see Kelsi writing something like that, not unless Sharpay had been standing over her shoulder with a bull whip anyhow, which I realized was a possibility. Sharpay wore a tight red dress with a long slit up the side; it didn't leave much to the imagination. Ryan wore a black pinstripe suit, with a red shirt, red and black wingtips, and a black fedora with a red band. He was breathtaking as always, and I noticed how hot his butt looked in the dress pants.

The party was small, as I'd expected it to be. Apart from my pack mates only about a dozen kids from school, almost all of them from the drama club, were in attendance, leaving most of the tables that the twins had setup empty.

After the dance the club's chef brought out the cake he'd baked. Nothing as dramatic as the ones Zeke had made for the twins' birthday, but a simple flat cake with baby blue frosting and nineteen candles. I made a silent wish that no one else I knew would die, closed my eyes, and blew out the candles on my first attempt. After the cake and ice-cream it was time for presents, which left me a little terrified; I hate it when people spend too much money on me, but dating an Evans made that inevitable.

Joey and Jesse got me a joint gift, I unwrapped the small package to find a new Xbox 360 game. It was a game that I'd been wanting to play for a while, but I guessed that they hadn't noticed that I didn't have an Xbox. Still it was the thought that counted I guess. Kelsi, of course, gave me a song she'd written for me. I'd have rather had a new basketball, but she gave me something from her heart, so I accepted it with as much grace as I could muster. Gabriella got me a get out of homework free card, promising that she'd do one assignment of my choice for me when school started. I was more than a little surprised that she'd condone cheating like that, but I made sure to put it in my wallet, I had every intention of using it. Jason told me that his gift wasn't appropriate for everyone to see, which got me interested. I wasn't sure what he could've gotten me that he didn't think was party appropriate.

After that it was time for the part I was dreading, the gifts from Ryan, Sharpay, and their parents. I unwrapped the box from his parents first. It wasn't as expensive as the car for graduation had been, not by a long shot, and for that I was thankful. They got me an Xbox 360, I looked from the box on the table in front of me to Joey and Jesse, Joey wouldn't meet my gaze, and Jesse flashed me a happy smile. The two bastards had known what the Evans were getting me, and hadn't said a word. I made a note to return the favor when their birthdays came around.

Sharpay's package was the biggest, but didn't weigh anywhere near as much as the Xbox did. I shook it a little, it felt like clothes. I glanced at her face and plastered on the most convincing grin I could before opening it. It was a new navy blue suit, Armani if the tag was to be believed, and coming from Sharpay I had no reason to doubt it.

"Wow, Armani." I tried not to let my annoyance show. It was a _really_ nice suit, but she'd spent more on me than her parents had. Of course, she spent their money on me, but then again so had Ryan probably.

Sharpay smiled. "Only the best for my brother's boyfriend."

I smiled back at her, and then turned to look at the table where the gifts had been placed. It was empty. I looked at Ryan and raised an eyebrow. He winked at me. "Later." He said.

There was a little bit of dancing after that, Sharpay insisted, and then we ended the party. Sharpay told the staff to stay as long as the few guests who had bothered to come did, but the pack all headed over to the Evans's estate for some private time, not that we didn't get plenty of that after work during the week, but some sort of after party was now a tradition that I was used to.

Ryan and Sharpay's parents were out of town, off somewhere in Europe again like they were the last part of every summer from what Ryan said. We had the run of the house, and no uninfected people to worry about. Jason carried a large box from his truck into the house, but I still hadn't seen any sign of what Ryan had gotten me. I was beginning to wonder if it was sex, which wouldn't be bad. I'd already decided that there was no way he was getting to bed tonight without at least one romp on his silk sheets.

Ryan and Sharpay went upstairs to change out of the outfits they'd worn for the performance, and made Jason promise not to let me unwrap the box he'd brought in before they were back. Ryan was downstairs in a swimsuit only a few minutes later, but Sharpay took the better part of an hour. It looked like she'd taken a shower and redone her makeup. When she'd taken her seat and given Jason her leave to continue, he handed me the package while mumbling something.

I tore into the packaging and opened the long white box, uncovering a the sparkling shape of the sword I'd used on two occasions when we went down into the nest. I didn't quite understand why he was giving this to me, until I pulled it out and unsheathed it. I noticed that the entire blade was now a golden hue. I ran a finger along it. I heard Sharpay hiss from her seat on the couch, her eyes darted from me to Jason in a glare.

"Electroplated?" I asked.

Jason smirked at Sharpay and nodded. "I thought you might want something to use against Paul."

"That was all the gold I could get my hands on. It's not easy to come by, even when you have money." Ryan said.

"So is this from both of you then?" I asked.

Jason and Ryan shook their heads. "Jason all the way." Ryan said. "I just helped a little."

"So where's your gift then?" I asked Ryan while waggling my eyebrows at him in what I hoped was a suggestive way. I got the impression that I failed when he started snickering at me.

"You'll find out soon enough." He said. "But now it's time to hit the pool." I tried narrowing my eyes and pretending to be upset, but he saw right through me and laughed again. "Come on, let's get you changed."

There was no point in fighting, so I let him lead me upstairs. My swimsuits had all migrated back to my house, so he loaned me one of his. It was a bit tight in the waist, and didn't leave much of anything to the imagination. I felt exposed in them, which was strange since I knew that every single person there had seen me naked more than once already. Somehow the too small trunks made me feel more naked then being naked. There was no way I could wear those. I took them off and pulled on some board shorts without underwear. They weren't ideal, but they were comfortable. Ryan headed for the door once I was changed, but I grabbed him by the waistband and pulled him back towards me and into my arms. "Don't you want to show me my gift now?"

He turned around and leaned in to place an almost chaste kiss on my lips, and then he pulled back and winked at me. "Later. There's still plenty of the night left to have fun first."

I nuzzled up against his neck, smelling his clean skin. "Bring the night on." I whispered into his ear and let him lead me out and down to the pool.

Jason, Kelsi, Joey, and Jesse were already wet by the time we made it downstairs. Gabriella and Sharpay were sitting on lounge chairs at the side of the pool, just outside of splash range I noticed.

I embraced Ryan from behind and whispered into his ear again. "You sure you won't tell me what my present is?" I asked.

He shook his head. "You'll have to wait and see."

"Okay, but just remember, you asked for this." I said.

"Asked for what?" He asked.

"This." I said and moved one of my arms from his side and swept him off his feet and up into my arms before he could react. Then I charged into the deep-end of the pool, taking him in with me. Our heads bobbed above the surface, we were both laughing. Ryan swung his arm along the surface, spraying me with a wave of water. I dove under and grabbed for his legs. He kicked one free, but I grabbed the other and started tickling it before he was able to kick free and head for the shallow end of the pool.

I followed him under the water, and then surfaced with the biggest splash I could muster, catching Jesse and Kelsi in the watery explosion. Ryan was prepared for me though and his own splash hit me in the face before I was even half way standing.

Watery Armageddon erupted at that point. Both Joey and Jason felt the need to rush to the rescue, sending waves crashing at Ryan and I from both sides. I spun around, trying my best to splash everyone. Jesse dove beneath the surface before the spray reached him; a high pitched squeal from the darkness beyond the pool let me know that my attack had reached Sharpay. I didn't have the time to enjoy my small victory though. The dark-haired beast that was Jason pounced on my back and dragged me under the water. I broke free of his grasp, and stood up gasping for air, only to have Joey land on me and try to dunk me again. He underestimated my strength though, and I pushed his head below the surface before releasing him and swimming backwards away from my assailants.

I felt my back press against the edge of the pool, and took stock of my situation. Jason was advancing from my right, Joey from the middle, and Ryan was hanging just out of reach to my left, all three looked intent on dragging me under. Kelsi and Jesse were watching from their seats on the pool steps.

"You're not going to get me without a fight." I said skimming my alarm along the surface enough to spray all three of them.

"I didn't think we would." Ryan said before throwing himself at me. He was small enough and light enough that he alone would've had trouble dunking me. But Joey went for my legs at the same time. I toppled sideways into the water, with Ryan on top of me; Jason pressed his hands against my chest and heaved me under the water.

I emerged from the water sputtering and turned to face the three grinning boys. "Okay. Fine. You got me." Then I focused my smile on Jason. "But I think it's Jason's turn next."

Jason's eyes widened and I saw Ryan nodding in agreement. Joey shrugged and attempted to trip the boy standing next to him. Jason lunged away from him just in time. And that's how our wet brawl went for the better part of an hour, three of us ganging up on a fourth to dunk him, then switching a new target as soon as the previous victim surfaced.

"You guys are such idiots, some times." Kelsi said when I emerged sputtering from the water for the dozenth time. I glanced from her to Jason.

"You know, those two look pretty comfortable. It'd be shame if someone happened to dunk them." I said while turning my back to the pair so they wouldn't hear.

Jason smiled. "It really would. You and Joey get Kelsi. Ryan and me will get Jesse." He said, and our other two conspirators nodded.

We pretended to be trying to dunk Jason again as we closed the distance towards the stairs, then turned on the two spectators. I snagged Kelsi's arms, keeping her from batting at me as she screamed in panic, and Joey grabbed her feet. We pulled her out to the center of the pool and submerged her. Ryan and Jason threw Jesse's struggling form into the water next to her. We all swam away from the struggling pair as fast as we could before they surfaced.

"Oh my God. You're a dead man, Jason." Kelsi said when she was done sputtering. Jason ran up the steps and out of the pool. He grabbed a towel and bolted for the house with Kelsi right behind him. Jesse took it a little better, jumping on his boyfriend's back and bearing him under the water in vengeance.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38 **

We didn't spend much longer in the pool, Ryan and I didn't at least. We found Kelsi banging on the Evans's back door, while Jason stared at her through the glass pretending he couldn't hear her. I pounded on the locked door to get his attention, Jason looked from the soaked from of Kelsi, to me, and then back to Kelsi. He shook his head.

"Come on Jason. You're keeping me from having sex." I called through the glass.

"Find a bush." He called back.

"You're going to have to face her sooner or later." Ryan said.

Jason sighed, unlocked the door, and then bolted into the house. Ryan and I waited for Kelsi to rush in and after her boyfriend before going inside. He looked down at the wet rug as we walked in and frowned. "She's going to ruin the carpet."

I laughed and took his hand, leading him towards the stairs. "You can afford to get new." I said as we went.

He sighed but let me lead him to his room. I pushed him in in front of me and closed the door behind us. I locked it, then turned around and leaned up against it, letting my eyes drift over the pale form of my boyfriend, standing in front of his bed in nothing but swim trunks, his hair and a few spots he'd missed with the towel still glistening with pool water. My eyes moved from his well defined legs over his trunks, and up his tight stomach and muscular chest to his pale and beautiful face.

"See something you like?" He asked, running his hands down his body, and letting his thumb catch in his waistband.

I shook my head, without breaking eye contact with him. "No, I see someone I love."

A blush crept into his cheeks, and he shoved downward with his hand, shoving his trunks passed his hips they fell to the floor. I unbuttoned my damp shorts, and let them fall to my feet. I kicked them off and they landed near Ryan's swim trunks. I walked up to him, and placed my hands on his chest. The fingers on my right hand drifted down to his nipple and began teasing it, while my left hand glided along his smooth body and around his side to caress his back. I let my other hand join the other behind his back and pulled him into a gentle kiss. His lips were soft as always, and I began nibbling on his upper lip. He nibbled on my lower lip. I moved my lips from his down across his jaw and down to his neck. He leaned back to grant me access and a quiet moan shook his body. I nibbled my way from his neck up to his ear lobe, and spent some time sucking on it before returning at last to his flawless lips.

His tongue brushed against my lips, and I opened, allowing it to dart into my mouth. I grazed his tongue with the tip of my own, and let him turn me, pressing me back towards his bed. I felt his bed with the back of my legs, and stood my ground for a moment, pressing my tongue into his mouth, brushing along his smooth teeth. Then I let myself fall backwards onto the soft mattress, pulling him down on top of me.

He pulled back from my lips, and kissed his way down my body to my nipples. He sucked on one, letting the tip of his tongue flick it just a little as he did. I ran a hand down his back, caressing small circles while running the fingers of my other hand through his short, soft hair.

* * *

I awoke the next afternoon still cuddling against Ryan's back, the scent of his hair, which mostly smelled like the chlorine from the pool still, filling my nose. I raised my head just enough to look passed him to his clock radio. It was almost three in the afternoon, and no one had come to wake us up. Being the birthday boy did have some advantages. I snuggled closer to Ryan, and considered going back to sleep, but I had work tomorrow, and if I didn't get up soon I'd be up all night and one of the kids would find someway to take my head off with a golf club.

Having decided that I couldn't go back to sleep, I found myself wondering whether or not to wake Ryan up. He looked so cute lying there in my arms, one of which I realized was pinned beneath him and asleep. That was going to hurt. I decided to go ahead and wake the angel pinning my arm to the bed. I placed a kiss on the back of his neck, and moved my good arm from his waist up to his chest, caressing him as I went. He mumbled something I couldn't make out and batted at my hand. I started nibbling the back of his neck, and moved my hand until I found a nipple to tease.

He moaned, and his eyes blinked open. "You're insatiable." He said, still waking up, and turned his head to the side to try and face me.

I pulled my arm out from under him, and suppressed a grunt by burying my face in his back as the pins and needles of returning sensation rushed into it. Once I could trust myself to speak I looked up into his eyes. "Can you blame me?"

Ryan smiled. "Well, I guess not. You have good taste at least."

"So do you." I said with, bending forward to nibble on the back of his neck again.

"You know they say puns are the lowest…" Ryan attempted to say, but a moan of pleasure interrupted whatever he'd been about to say.

I pulled back. "Sorry, you were saying?"

Ryan sighed and rolled onto his back to get a better look at me. "Nothing."

* * *

It was almost five by the time we made our way downstairs after a long and pleasant shower. Joey and Jesse were watching something in the living room, no one else was around.

"Just you two?" I asked as we passed through on our way to the kitchen.

Joey nodded. "Yeah, Sharpay and Gabi went shopping. Kelsi and Jason went home last night, I think she was planning to disembowel him when they got there."

I couldn't tell if he was kidding or not. I decided I didn't want to know.

Ryan went into the kitchen ahead of me, and I heard the refrigerator door opening. I followed him in and embraced him from behind, peering into the empty cold space in front of him. "Not much to pick from." I said stealing a quick feel of his ass.

"The help has the month off, there's no one to go shopping." He said with a sigh, pulling out a loaf of bread and pressing it. "Hard as a rock."

"You're hopeless." I said, pressing a kiss to the back of his ear before breaking away to check the pantry. There wasn't any more food there then in the fridge. "Coffee shop?" I asked.

He closed the refrigerator and nodded. We walked back into the living room and Ryan headed up stairs to grab his wallet and keys, I'd brought mine down with me.

"We're going to the coffee shop, you guys want to come?" I asked the two boys on the sofa. Jesse stood up and pulled his boyfriend up after him before Joey even had a chance to say a word.

Ryan came back downstairs, and the four of us left the house together, leaving the house empty. Ryan was careful to lock the door and arm the alarm system as we left. Ryan and Joey drove, I offered to, but Ryan was afraid that Joey and I would feel compelled to race. Even though the Evans had given Ryan's older Mustang to Jesse, he never volunteered to drive anywhere, the car was still yellow, and he didn't like to drive it unless it was absolutely necessary. Ryan had promised to get it repainted, but hadn't had the time yet, which was at least a little my fault. Okay, more than a little, I'm a bad influence on him.

The coffee house was more crowded then I'd ever seen it before. I guessed that word of the joys of the hookah had spread around town. We were lucky that a group of college students was leaving just as we arrived. Ryan and Joey sprang onto the couches they'd been using, marking them as our territory, leaving Jesse and I to place the orders.

"What do you want?" I asked Ryan.

"Coffee." He said, stretching out on the overstuffed sofa and looking like he was about to fall back asleep.

"And what else?" I asked. "This is our breakfast, remember? You need to start the day out with a good meal."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Fine, mother, get me a bagel and some cream cheese."

"Anything for you, ducky." I said and turned to take a place in line. I didn't see it, but I can swear I felt his glare attempting to burn a hole through my back. Jesse got his boyfriend's order and got in line right behind me, blocking Ryan's attempt at developing death rays.

"Is he still glaring?" I asked without daring to turn around.

I heard Jesse shift. "Oh yeah."

I reached the front of the line, and ordered two coffees, Ryan's bagel, a pair of giant muffins for myself, and then another muffin for Ryan, he'd end up scavenging food from me either way, so that just made sure there would be enough to go around. "What flavor should I get?" I turned to ask Jesse.

"I dunno. I'm getting mint I know."

I turned around and ordered a straight orange hookah. I noticed a sign behind the counter advertising a free hookah on your birthday, and pulled out my ID. I had to fish in my wallet for a while to find my real one; the fake one had seen so much use.

The man behind the counter examined it for a long time, comparing the old picture of me at 16 to my current features. I didn't think I looked that different, but I guess he did. "You're sure this is you?" He asked. I noticed that he held out the s in is a little longer than I was comfortable with.

"Yeah. I'm nineteen today." He looked doubtful, but handed the ID back and deducted the price of the hookah from the bill. I handed over a twenty and returned to the couch where Ryan was still looking sullen. I shoved his feet off part of the sofa and sat down. He placed his feet in my lap, almost hitting me in the crotch, and gave me an evil looking smile. I rolled my eyes and leaned back, running my hands over his legs. I allowed one of them to stray a little too far north.

"If you keep that up I might have to forgive you." He said.

"Oh no, whatever will I do?" I said in my worst feigned melodramatic voice.

Jesse rejoined us, taking a seat next to Joey on the couch across from Ryan and I. "That guy seriously creeps me out."

I nodded. "I know."

"But the hookahs are good." Joey said.

"We should come closer to the full moon and sniff him out." Ryan said.

"I think that might be a little paranoid, Ry." I said, tickling the back of his knee. He kicked a little and glared at me again before pulling his legs out of my lap and sitting up.

"If I hadn't lost count of the number of things I'd killed, I'd agree with you." Ryan said, a dark look entering his eyes.

I wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close, placing a kiss on his forehead. "I know." I whispered.

A pair of waitresses came with our order, one holding the two hookahs and the other the food and drinks. I handed Ryan the bagel and the muffin I'd ordered him.

"You're just trying to protect your food." He said.

"Damn straight I am." I said.

"Please. The only thing straight about you is your jump shot." Joey said with a laugh.

I shot him a glare, but had to admit it was true. Well almost. "What about my lack of fashion sense?" I asked.

Ryan groaned. "That too."

I took a sip of my coffee while the waitress was still putting coals on our hookah, followed by a big bite of my first muffin. The waitress handed the hose to me, and then turned her attention to starting Joey and Jesse's hookah. I tried to hand the hose to Ryan, but he waved it off, taking a large bite of the muffin I'd gotten for him. I finished chewing my own mouthful, and brought the hose to my lips.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39 **

We spent a few hours there. Joey and I ordered a second round of hookah and muffins. This time I had to pay for it, the deal was only good once per birthday. We spent the evening just talking, the conversation moved from what we thought college was going to be like, to how hard it was to live with Sharpay, to how extravagant our graduation gifts had been, the topic that made Ryan the most uncomfortable.

The waitress came over, as we were finishing the bowls on our second round of hookahs, with four more drinks.

"We didn't order those." Jesse said.

The waitress shrugged and laid them on the table, along with a folded piece of paper. "Someone else paid for them."

"Who?" Ryan asked, eying the piece of paper.

She shrugged again. "No idea. But there's a note." She pointed to the piece of paper and left us in confusion.

I looked around the coffee shop, but didn't see anyone I recognized. Who could've ordered us drinks?

Ryan picked up the note and unfolded it. I watched his face as he read it. His eyes widened a tiny bit, I don't think anyone who didn't know him as well as I did would've even noticed, and then he sighed and handed the note to me.

The handwriting was hard to read, but not that hard. 'The Nagual is waiting at the basketball player's house.' I handed the note to Jesse and looked around the shop again. I was sure that I didn't recognize anyone here and there was no one looking in our direction. Jesse gasped, and handed it to Joey, who also gasped.

"I don't suppose there's any chance it means Sharpay?" Joey asked, trying to sound hopeful. The rest of us turned to stare at him. "Meli?" he asked again, the sound of hope dying in his voice. We continued to stare. He sighed. "Yeah, I didn't think so."

"So what do we do?" Jesse asked, looking from his boyfriend to Ryan.

"Rally the troops." Ryan said, pulling out his cell phone. "Troy, call Jason. Jesse, get Sharpay, Gabi's probably still with her. I'll call Kelsi in case she isn't with Jason."

I nodded and pulled out my phone, dialing Jason's number. It rang a few times before he answered.

"What's up, _Teen Wolf_?" Jason said as he answered.

"Yeah, that joke is only going to work for one more year." I said.

"Then I'd better use it while I can." He said and yawned.

"You were not still asleep?" I asked.

I swear I could almost hear him nod. "Yeah. So what's up? You didn't call me just to be insulted, did you?"

"Paul's at my house."

That seemed to get his attention. "He's there with you?"

"No, we're not there."

"Then how do you know he is?"

"Well, we got a note."

"A note?"

"Yeah." I said.

"From who?" Jason asked.

"No idea."

"Then how do you know it's telling the truth?" Jason asked.

"We don't. But we can't afford to take the chance."

"Yeah. Okay. Where do you want to meet?"

"Ryan's." I said. "Your present is still there, and we'll need it."

"I'm on my way. Did you call Kelsi yet?" He asked.

I looked at Ryan to see him talking to someone on his phone. "Ryan's talking to her now." I said.

"Cool. See you there." Jason said before hanging up.

Ryan tapped my shoulder. "Where'd you tell Jason to meet us?"

"Your house." I said.

Ryan nodded and held the phone back to his mouth. "Yeah, meet us at my place."

"Sharpay and Gabriella are already there." Jesse said as he snapped his phone shut. "They're waiting for us."

I nodded, and took a drink from the coffee the waitress had brought us. Mocha latte, my favorite.

Ryan stared at me in horror. "Troy. You don't know who sent that, it could be poisoned."

I took another swallow. "It'd only work if it was silver. And I don't feel any burning." I took another sip. I saw Jesse look at his own drink and take a tiny sip after smelling it.

"Stop that." Ryan snapped. "I don't want to have to kill myself because my mate is suicidally stupid."

I rolled my eyes but set it down. "Fine, let's go."

We tried to hurry out of the shop and to our cars, without looking like we were hurrying. That worked until we were in the car and Ryan tore out of the parking lot like a mad man. I've never seen him drive so fast before or since. Joey's red Mustang was hot on our heels… or tires I guess.

We arrived back at the Evans's estate first, well except for Sharpay and Gabriella who'd started out there. I went right for the living room where I'd left the box containing Jason's gold-plated gift. The girls were waiting for us there, dressed for combat, I'll never get used to seeing Sharpay in jeans and a t-shirt. I could tell that she'd never get used to wearing them either.

Jesse followed me into the living room, and handed Gabriella the note. Ryan and Joey went upstairs to change, I wasn't wearing anything too expensive, so didn't bother.

"You should leave that here." I said, pointing at Jesse's watch.

Jesse looked down at it, and his eyes went wide. "Thanks." He said and sprinted for the stairs.

"So someone just gave this to you?" Sharpay asked, snatching the paper from Gabi's hands.

"Hey." Gabi said, attempting to take it back. But Sharpay turned to prevent the brunette from reaching it.

"The waitress brought it with some drinks." I said.

"And you have no idea who it's from?" Gabriella asked, standing up to look at it over Sharpay's shoulder.

I shook my head. "There was no one there I knew."

"Well, whoever sent it doesn't seem to know your name." Gabriella said.

"But they know I'm a basketball player, and that there's a Nagual lurking in my house." I pointed out.

"They have to know his name, Gabs. They couldn't very well know he plays basketball without knowing it." Sharpay said, handing the paper back to the girl standing over her shoulder.

The doorbell rang. My hand tightened on the hilt of the sword. Sharpay stood up and looked at my white knuckles and shook her head. "Relax, Troy, it's just Jason or Kelsi." She walked out of the living room and less than a minute later Jason followed her back.

"I've got everyone else's weapons in the truck." He said, pointing at the sword I was holding.

"Any idea when Kelsi will get here?" Gabriella asked.

Jason shrugged. "She's still mad that I locked her out last night." He paused and pointed at me. "Which is totally your fault."

I smiled and nodded. "What can I say? I'm a bad influence on people."

"You can say that again." Ryan's voice came from the top of the stairs. He walked down them looking almost as uncomfortable as his sister in jeans and a t-shirt. His sneakers squeaked on a step as he came down, and I realized they looked brand new.

"New shoes?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, I had to toss the last ones, they stunk of the sewer." He reached the base of the stairs, and then looked around the room twice before focusing on Jason. "No Kelsi?"

Jason rolled his eyes. "We aren't joined at the hip you know."

Ryan threw an arm over my shoulders and pulled me into a half hug. "That's a shame. You should try it." He placed a kiss on my cheek and I felt my cheeks start to burn. How did he still manage to do that to me? It was ridiculous, we'd been together for almost a year, everyone in the room had seen us kiss, and heard us do more. Somehow he can still make me blush like a schoolboy; I don't get it.

Joey and Jesse came down stairs; Joey noticed my predicament and stifled a laugh. The doorbell rang again, and I took a deep breath. Saved by the bell, I'd have to remember to do something nice for Kelsi. Ryan pulled away from me and answered the door. I was a little surprised to see that it was only Kelsi.

"No parents?" Jason asked.

She shot him a glare, and then shook her head. "They said they trusted us to deal with this."

"Really?" I asked.

She nodded. "They want us to run for it if things get chancy though. But I mean, it's just one Nagual and a bat thing. How hard can that be?"

Ryan rolled his eyes. "We'll find out."

"So what's the plan?" Jason asked.

"Well, assuming the tip we got at the coffee shop is accurate, he's in the house, but we don't know where." Jesse said.

"We have two choices. We can either storm the house, or try to take him by surprise." Jason said.

"I wonder how he got in." Joey said. "If he broke in obviously, then he's going to be expecting us to know someone is there. If he was careful about it, he might be hoping to surprise us."

"That would make it easier to surprise him." Ryan said, his brow creased in thought.

"Oh no." Gabriella said, holding her hand over her mouth.

"What?" Ryan asked.

"My notes are all still in the kitchen at Troy's. If he's read those…" She said, pulling her hand back from her face and staring at it in horror.

"What?" Kelsi asked.

"Then he can throw fire." I said.

"What?" Kelsi asked again.

"Cool." Jason said.

Kelsi cuffed the back of his head.

"Ow. What?"

"Not cool." She said.

Gabriella was still staring at her hand, and it sounded like she was starting to hyperventilate. Ryan grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. The last thing we needed was for her to go into hysterics again. "Was there a… I don't know a reversal spell or something, Gabi? Do you remember it?" Ryan asked.

Her eyes cleared a little and she shook her head. "No."

Ryan grimaced, and then looked at Joey. "There's a fire extinguisher down in the basement, go get it."

Joey nodded and dashed for the basement door.

"Do you really think that will help?" Sharpay asked.

Ryan looked at his twin and shrugged. "It can't hurt to bring it." He turned back to look Gabriella in the eyes, his hands still on her shoulders. "Was there anything else in those notes he could use against us?"

She thought for a moment. "I don't think so. But we're out the whistle, I left it in the freezer."

"Why the freezer?" I asked.

She shrugged. "It's where my mom hides her jewelry when we go on vacation."

I had to stifle a laugh. "I guess that's why the police always leave mine open when they're done tossing the house."

Ryan turned from Gabriella to glare at me, releasing his grip on her shoulders. "Okay, he may not have found it then. When we get there, you and Jesse head for the freezer and see if it's still there. If it is, then see if you can use it do something about his bat friend."

Gabi took a deep breath and nodded. Jesse looked less convinced, but nodded too.

Ryan looked at Jesse for a moment. "Wait, can you change tonight?"

Jesse closed his eyes and concentrated. His face began to ripple a little as the muscles and bones beneath the skin twitched. Jesse relaxed and opened his eyes. "I think so."

"Okay, you and Sharpay will have to be our main defense against him. Kelsi, you go with Gabi to get the whistle when we get there."

Kelsi gave a single nod.

Joey came back from the basement carrying a large fire extinguisher. "When's the last time this was serviced?" He asked.

Ryan shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"So, you still haven't decided how we're going in." Jason said, looking at Ryan.

"That's because I don't know." Ryan shot back, looking from Jason to the rest of us. "Is there any way we can get some sort of surveillance?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Not short of calling the police and reporting an intruder." I said.

Ryan shook his head. "Yeah, that'd be great. Bits of dead cop scattered all over your house." Ryan closed his eyes in thought again, then opened them. "Okay, here's the plan. Yes it's suicidal, yes it's stupid. Troy and I go in his car, the rest of you follow in Jason's truck and park next door. You get out of the truck, and sneak up to the house. We pull into the garage, and all of you follow us in. Then the two of us go in alone to try and bait him out. You all follow a minute or two later. Shar and Jesse charge him and his friend while Gabriella and Kelsi go to the kitchen for the whistle. Joey keeps the fire extinguisher ready, and the rest of us beat them down."

"That's suicidal." Kelsi said.

"And stupid." Sharpay said.

"Being the bait is the only way. He won't kill us right away, I think, not if he wants to know where the tablet is." Ryan said.

"You think?" I asked. He placed his hand on my shoulder looked into my eyes, and nodded. "I hope you're right."

He turned his head to look at each of us, his eyes lingering the longest on me. "Everyone ready for this?"

Sharpay laughed. "I was born ready." She walked out the door. The rest of us nodded and followed her out the door. Ryan came out last, after arming the alarm for the second time that day and locking the door.

We grabbed Ryan's sword from the cab of Jason's truck, and put it in the box with mine. We couldn't carry them in openly, but hoped that Paul wouldn't think the gift wrapped box was a threat.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40 **

Jason's large pickup trailed behind us as I drove the familiar roads between Ryan's house and my own. I turned the music down. "He may not kill us, but do you have any idea how much this is going to hurt?"

I saw Ryan nod out of the corner of my eye. "A fuck-ton."

"If you're not careful your mom is going to wash your mouth out with soap." I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"If we should live so long." Ryan said.

"You're not going anywhere."

"I hope you're right." He said, all the false bravado he'd used to speak in the house gone. For the first time in months he sounded like what he was, a scared teenager in way over his head.

I took my hand off the gear shift and placed it on his. "You're not going anywhere." I repeated.

We reached my house in less time than I'd hoped. I stopped before turning onto the street. Giving Jason and the rest time to park in front of the house next door and sneak up to the garage door, then turned down the street and pulled into my driveway. I reached above the sun visor and pressed the button to activate the garage door opener.

I took a deep breath, and didn't let it go until the door was all the way open, and I could see that at least the bastard wasn't waiting in the garage. I pulled in, while the others entered through the open door and lined up along the wall.

Ryan and I got out of the car, and headed for the door in to the house. My heart was beating a mile a minute as we neared the door. I pressed the button on the wall, and the garage door began closing. Sharpay and Jesse stripped off their shirts, and began changing. I hoped Paul wouldn't hear the pops their joints were making. I kicked a nearby toolbox, hard enough to hurt myself.

"Ow." I said. "Why'd you leave that there?" I said.

Ryan rolled his eyes at my theatrics. "I'm sorry, Troy. Let me kiss and make it better."

I limped up to the door, making as much noise as I could to cover Jesse and Sharpay's transformations. "Oh, you're going to." I put my key in the lock and turned it, noticing as I did that it had still been locked, or had been relocked. I turned the knob and shoved the door open. Ryan followed me in, leaving the door unlocked behind us.

I hit a wall switch and turned on the wall light in the entry way. Nothing looked out of place. If Paul was here, he was a much more considerate searcher than the police. I glanced into the kitchen, and noticed that my computer was on, a section of the Pnakotica displayed on the screen. Someone had been using it, and recently enough that the screen saver hadn't come on yet.

I tapped Ryan's shoulder, and gestured towards it with my head. He looked at it and nodded. We avoided the kitchen and went into the living room. I flipped another wall switch turning on a lamp. Nothing looked like it had been disturbed; then again, he was here looking for a huge tablet, so there was no need for him to check under the sofa or behind the DVDs.

He wasn't in the garage, entryway, or living room. Which meant he was either in the kitchen, my dad's office, or upstairs. I sat down on the couch, and pulled Ryan down with me. I reached for the remote, my eyes looking around at the room's two entrances from elsewhere in the house. He could've gone into the backyard too, I guessed. But that didn't seem as good a place as upstairs.

Ryan and I did our best to look like we were making out on the couch, while both continuing to survey the room. Where was he? For an instant I felt a sound pass through my head, Ryan didn't seem to notice. I recognized it as the sound made by the whistle, or hopefully another whistle.

I leaned in close and nibbled on Ryan's ear. "He just blew one of those whistles."

Ryan pushed me back a little, and nibbled on my ear. "Shouldn't be long then."

I pulled away from Ryan to look through the partway opened blinds into the backyard. A dark shape descended from the sky above the pool and moved towards the house. "Here we go." I whispered, grabbing the box and placing it on the sofa between us.

"So what did you get me for my birthday?" I asked, trying to make it sound like the box contained his present to me. It hadn't occurred to me until that moment that I still hadn't gotten a gift from him. I shook my head, it wasn't the time or the place to worry about that.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Ryan said with a wink.

Was he pretending, or was he thinking about the real one too? I shook my head again. Not the time or place. I slid the ribbon off the box, and lifted the top off of it. I felt the whistle blow again, and the sliding door exploded inwards, spraying glass through the room.

I was facing the stairs leading to the second floor, and had a good view of the bat-winged thing landing amongst the shards. I didn't see Paul, enter the room, but I did see Ryan's hand close around the hilt of his saber in the box. I reached for my own, and felt a blow land on the back of my head. Paul had been in the kitchen I realized as I dropped the sword and fell backwards.

Ryan lunged over me, piercing Paul with his saber. The handsome Nagual grunted, and shrieked something in a language I didn't recognize. I sat up and reached for the box, where it had fallen to the ground. The bat thing's tail, which I hadn't noticed before, shot forward and impaled Ryan from behind, lifting him into the air. Ryan's saber clattered to the ground as he convulsed in pain. I grabbed my sword, and swung it around toward Paul's legs. He kicked my hand, deflecting the blow, but I managed to hold onto my weapon. His booted foot descended again, and pinned my wrist to the ground. I looked up to see him glaring down at me.

"Well, it looks like we weren't unexpected." Paul said with a smirk. I looked from Paul back to Ryan. The thing had withdrawn its tail, and was now holding him in a grapple. Two fiery eyes were all I could see of the thing's face. Paul slapped the back of my head, and I turned to look up at him again. He knelt down, keeping his foot on my sword arm the whole time. "Now, tell me dog, where's my tablet?"

"Where you're never getting it." Ryan said from behind me.

"For your sake, you'd better be lying." Paul said and then barked a command to the thing. I heard Ryan cry out, and looked back long enough to see that the thing's tail had pierced his thigh. The tail twitched in the wound, cutting deeper, and Ryan grunted.

Paul pulled a dagger from somewhere behind him. I could tell by the way the light reflected off of it that it was silver. Something made abundantly clear when he pressed the flat of it to my face. I screamed and jerked away from the burning metal.

A roar filled the room, and a ball of white fur and claws crashed into Paul, knocking him off of me. I sprang to my feet, keeping my grip on the sword hilt. My other hand drifted to my face, the silver had only been in contact with my skin for a second, but it felt like it had left a nasty burn. I shook it off and looked to where Sharpay was wrestling with Paul on the floor. His dagger was embedded in her belly, but she didn't seem to notice.

I heard a hyena laugh from behind me, and looked back to see Jesse's hybrid form wrestling with the winged thing's tail. I hoped he and Ryan had it, and turned my attention back to Paul, looking for an opening. I had to be careful, my sword could kill Sharpay as easily as Paul. Why hadn't Jesse been the one to take Paul? Then I wouldn't have had to worry. As I waited for my chance Paul began to rip out of his clothes, he lunged for Sharpay, and sunk his expanding teeth into her neck. She hissed in pain and pushed him off of her, which caused him to rip out the chunk of flesh he'd bitten.

She fell back, and I took my chance. I thrust forward, but he saw the blow coming and rolled out of the way and to his feet. He grabbed the dagger's hilt and jerked it from Sharpay's stomach and turned to face me. He slashed forward with the knife, but I managed to parry his frenzied blow. I took a step backwards, trying to use the greater reach offered by the sword to my advantage. I slashed forward, but he deflected the blade with his hand before hissing in pain. He hadn't noticed that it was gold plated. It distracted him enough that I hoped my next strike would end it, but Sharpay had recovered and threw herself on him again, preventing me from risking another attack.

"Guys. It would help if Sharpay and Jesse switched." I called out while looking for another opening in the feline brawl in front of me. I failed to notice the tingling starting at the base of my spine.

Ryan's bloody form came flying from behind me, crashing through the coffee table and into Sharpay's back. I lunged forward with my sword, but only nicked the black-furred Nagual's leg.

Paul was way better at this than any of us were. I glanced back in time to see the winged thing send Jason flying my way while Jesse leapt onto its back. I dodged the flying basketball player, and turned back to see Paul slashing his dagger towards Ryan. My sword arm flicked out, and I deflected the blow, hitting his arm with the flat of the blade. Paul hissed in pain, and spun to stab at me. My other hand reached out and grabbed his wrist. To my surprise the half-changed were-jaguar wasn't able to overpower me as I'd feared. I pushed up and tightened my grip.

For the first time I realized that my spine was tingling, and pressure was building throughout my body. I had no idea how that was possible, but it wasn't the time to question it. This wasn't the time to deny my inner wolf. My clothes ripped off as my muscles surged out of them. Paul's eyes went wide, and I took advantage of his distraction to thrust forward with my blade. He stepped to the side, but not in time to avoid a cut across his ribs.

Paul fell back a step; his eyes darted around the room. He was losing, and he knew it. His mouth softened, became more human, and he barked an order to the thing, and pain erupted in my back. I looked down to the see the tip of his friend's tail emerging from my chest. The tail jerked and I was pressed to the ceiling, my sword falling from my grasp as my body convulsed in pain. The tail retracted and I fell to the floor.

"Cth'nglui Fthaggua Ktynga n'gha-ghaa fia'l thagn! Iä Fthaggua!" I heard Paul shout, followed by a crimson flash and a scream. The scent of burning flesh reached my nose before I heard the whoosh of Joey's fire extinguisher. I looked for an instant to see Ryan writhing on the floor, but then the bat-thing's claws were on me, spinning me around to face it. I knocked its arm from my shoulder and punched it in the face. It didn't seem to care. Where was Gabriella? That whistle would be really nice about now.

On cue, I heard the whistle. And this time I did hear it, it was out of the range of human hearing, but well within that of a wolf. It was shrill and had a strange vibration to it that felt a little nauseating. The thing in front of me paused, and the burning embers that were its eyes looked around the room in what I hoped was confusion.

I stepped back from it for a moment, studying it. The thing was covered with insect like plates, but I found a spot in the abdomen where two plates met and lashed out with my claws. They cut into it, and the thing gave a shriek in the same sound range as the whistle. Cold green goo spilled over my hand.

I heard the sound of wings flapping, and turned to see another of the bat-things enter through the shattered sliding door. Gabriella screamed something, and the second thing grabbed the injured first one and then left the way it had come. I stared after them for a second, and then spun around when I heard Paul belting out the words of the fire spell again. Sharpay's fur went up in flames. I saw Joey aim the extinguisher at her, but only a fizzle came out.

"Pool." I shouted as I closed towards the melee.

Sharpay's blazing form went past me, leaving sparks in her wake. I spotted my sword lying on the ground and knelt to pick it up, with Sharpay out of the picture I could finally do some damage with it without worrying if I hit someone else. I looked up just in time to see Paul plunge his silver blade into Jesse's chest. It may sound clichéd, like something from a movie, but at that point everything did seem to slow down as my adrenaline surged.

I heard Joey scream as Jesse fell backwards, clutching the dagger in his chest. I sprang forward, pushing the gold plated sword into Paul's stomach and then into the wall behind him. He gasped in pain, and his eyes stared first into mine, and then down at the hilt of the blade still clasped in my hands.

He tried to push me back, but I pulled up on the hilt, listening to the sizzling sound as it sliced through his flesh. I continued pulling up until I was certain it had hit his heart, and then held it there until his body stopped moving and was slumped against the wall, still pinned there by the sword.

I slumped against him, my strength suddenly failing. I heard Joey sobbing behind me. I closed my eyes and turned around after I don't know how long. Jesse was lying on the ground, human again. It looked like the knife was piercing his heart. Somehow he wasn't dead yet, but I couldn't imagine the pain he was in. Joey was bent over him, sobbing. I heard the pops in my ears as my body returned to its normal form. I turned around and punched Paul's now human face. His head lolled to the side, his dead eyes staring into nothingness.

I turned around again to see Ryan and Kelsi kneeling next to Jesse now. Kelsi grabbed the dagger's hilt, then recoiled in pain. The whole thing was made of silver I guessed. Joey tried to pull it out then, grasping it despite the pain and wrenching it free of the wound before dropping it. Jesse's body convulsed, and he coughed up a spray of blood. I thought for sure he was dying.

Instead I watched in awe as the wound closed.

"Ow." Jesse said, gasping for breath.

"Wait, what?" Joey asked, staring from the sealing chest wound to his boyfriend's face. "How… it's silver." Jesse looked from his worried boyfriend to the blade on the floor, and shrugged.

I saw Gabriella disappear into the kitchen, but my mind was too numb to care what she was up to. We'd won. We'd killed Paul. And somehow none of us had died. I continued to stare at Jesse, it was impossible that he was alive, but as he struggled to his feet it was impossible to deny it.

Sharpay returned, dripping wet. She swore as she stepped barefoot on a large shard of glass, and paused to pull the now bloody chunk of window from her foot. "Why's everyone staring at Jesse?" She asked when she looked up.

Gabriella returned, carrying my mom's teapot for some reason. She pressed it to Jesse's arm, and he jumped away. "Ow. What the Hell?" He asked, glaring at her and rubbing the burn mark on his arm.

She held up the copper teapot. "Bouda weren't allergic to silver. It took copper to kill one." She said.

"Oh." Was all I could find the energy to say.

Ryan looked from her to Jesse. "So we actually got lucky for once? What's the catch?" He looked around the room, as though expecting some horrible monster to leap out at us, or Paul to wake up as a zombie and resume the fight.

"We may not be safe yet." Gabriella said. "We made a lot of noise. Do you think one of your neighbors will call the police, Troy?"

I looked from the broken window to the dead body pinned against my wall. "Shit. We've got to clean up." I said.

"What do we do with the body?" Jason asked.

"Uh…" Ryan looked at a loss, staring from Paul to the front door.

"I've got it." Gabi said, and brought the whistle to her lips, blowing it. I felt the sound penetrate my skull, and saw uncomfortable expressions cross Jesse and Sharpay's faces as they felt the same thing. We all stood in silence for about a minute, before the bat winged thing, or maybe a different one, drifted through the shattered sliding door. I took a step back from it, as did everyone but Gabriella. She stepped forward, and muttered something in a guttural language while pointing at Paul's body. She turned to look at me. "Get the sword."

I wrenched it out of Paul's body with some difficulty, it felt like I'd hit a stud in the wall when I rammed it through him. The dead Nagual slumped to the floor.

The bat-thing landed, and walked towards the body. It picked it up and walked back towards the sliding door. It was disturbing to watch. Except for the wings and head it looked almost human, but its legs bent in strange ways and its gait wasn't a pleasant thing to see. It cradled Paul in its arms and launched itself passed the shattered glass and into the sky.

"What did you do?" Jesse asked.

"I told it take the body." Gabi said, tossing the whistle to Jesse. "Now get that thing away from me and never let me touch it again."

"Take it where?" Ryan asked, taking the whistle from Jesse and holding it at arms' length.

She shrugged. "No idea. Back to its home I think."

"The further away from me, the better." Sharpay said.

I nodded, and took the whistle from Ryan. I still felt enough of the tingle to snap it in half with one hand.

"How did you change?" Ryan asked, looking at me,

I shrugged. "I don't know. I saw him about to attack you, and I just… did."

"I bet it was something in the coffee." Joey said.

Ryan looked like he was about to say something, then changed his mind and looked around. "Okay, everyone who's naked, go upstairs and change. Everyone else, there's brooms in the garage and sponges under the sink; get cleaning."

Ryan, Jesse, Sharpay, and I all went upstairs and changed, then hurried back downstairs to help with the cleaning. I went into the garage and found an old bucket of paint that was the same color as the living room walls and some putty. I returned to the living room and set about patching the hole and painting over the blood left by the Nagual's death.

Joey and Jason were sweeping up the glass, while Gabriella, wearing some gardening gloves, placed it in a trash can. Kelsi was working on the carpet with some cleaner and a dust buster. Nothing would ever get the bloodstains out, but I hoped she could at least make them invisible to the naked eye and destroy any DNA evidence.

"So what do we say if the police do show up?" Jason asked while sweeping.

"That we got in a fight outback and you pushed me through the window." I said, smoothing the last of the putty into the sword hole and grabbing the brush out of the can of paint.

"Why do I always have to be the fall guy?" Jason asked, looking sullen.

"Because no one would believe that anyone else pushed me through it, and I already have a bad enough reputation as the son of a murderer." I shot back, noticing that the paint was just smearing the still wet blood around instead of covering it. I went into the kitchen and grabbed a roll of paper towels, and then returned to blot the wall dry before trying again.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41 **

The police didn't come that night. I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or annoyed that the neighbors didn't care about the sound of a murderous fight coming from my backyard. Then again, maybe they saw the bat-things and thought they were delusional.

Jason cut up some empty boxes we had in the garage and taped them together to form a makeshift covering for the gaping hole where the sliding door had been. It didn't inspire much confidence, but at least it wouldn't let the AC out quite as fast. We finished as much cleaning as we could, and then went our separate ways. Most of us had work at Lava Springs the next morning, and we didn't want to miss any more days than we already had. Ryan stayed the night with me at my house and volunteered to wait there the next day until a glass company could come and put in a new door; everyone else went to their respective homes.

In all the commotion I'd again forgotten that Ryan still hadn't given me a birthday present.

* * *

Something cold and wet pressed against my foot. I jerked my foot back and tried to ignore it, still too lost in sleep to even wonder why there was something cold and wet in my bedroom. Whatever it was pressed against my foot again, followed by something small, wet, and warm… a tongue? I opened my eyes, and blinked a few times to clear the sleep from them. The room was still dark, but I could tell Ryan was no longer lying next to me. His spot was still warm though, so he couldn't have been gone for too long.

Something licked my foot again. For a second I thought it might be Ryan, but I didn't think he had a foot fetish, and the tongue felt too small and rough to belong to the love of my life. I looked down, and saw a shape squirming beneath the sheet near my feet. I yanked my feet up to my chest and threw the sheet off, dreading what type of unspeakable horror might have crept into the house while we were asleep.

The truth was more horrifying than even I could have imagined. A small golden puppy looked up at me with soulful brown eyes and yipped at me.

"Demon puppy!" I yelled while jumping out of the bed and staring at the cuddly abomination.

"Happy birthday." Ryan said from the doorway with a laugh. I hadn't noticed him standing there, my attention had been fixed on the dog.

My eyes darted from him to the dog. "It's not a demon puppy?" I asked, trying not to sound like I'd just been terrified by a dog.

Ryan walked over and picked it up. "I don't think so. But with our luck, who knows?" He shrugged and held the dog up to his face, rubbing noses with it.

I mustered my courage and reached out to scratch it between the ears. Its head lolled to the side with its tongue hanging out in apparent bliss.

"You got me a puppy?" I asked, still in shock.

Ryan nodded. "I thought you could use someone to keep you company in this big lonely house."

"You're calling my house big?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ryan laughed. "Okay, in your tiny lonely house."

I took the dog from his arms and held it at arms' length to examine it. It was a boy I noticed, and it looked like he'd already been fixed. "Is he house trained?" In answer to my question the dog went pee on me.

Ryan stifled a laugh. "Um… no. Not yet."

I stared at the offensive animal and looked down at my now urine stained naked body. "Eww…"

"Come on, Troy. How can you stay mad at something that cute?"

"You're just lucky you're that cute." I said, setting the puppy on the floor and heading for the bathroom. "Eww."

I took a quick shower to wash the excrement off, and then put on some clothes. It was way earlier then I ever got up, but I was awake now. I exited the bathroom and went downstairs to find Ryan covering the floor of my dad's office in newspaper. I spotted a dish full of food and another of water in the corner.

I stepped up behind him and embraced him. He hadn't know I was there and almost jumped out of his skin.

"Don't sneak up on me like that." He almost yelled, sending the puppy skittering to the far side of the room.

"Hey, one good scare deserves another." I said, before bending in to kiss the back of his neck. He melted into my embrace and sighed.

"So do you like him?" Ryan asked.

"When he's not peeing on me." I said, and then turned Ryan around. "He's perfect, Ry. Thank you." Ryan leaned in and kissed me. "What's his name?" I asked when our lips parted.

"He doesn't have one yet." Ryan said, pulling free of my embrace to finish laying newspaper.

"I've never had a dog before. Will you help me with him?"

Ryan flashed me a smile. "Just try and stop me."

I looked at the clock, it wasn't even six in the morning yet. "I'm going to make breakfast." I turned and headed for the kitchen, there was a large bag of Purina Puppy Chow in the corner. I sighed and headed for the refrigerator. I proceeded to cook up a simple, but large breakfast of bacon and eggs. Ryan and I ate it all, and then it was time for me to head to work.

"Don't worry. I'll have the door fixed by the time you get home. I'll even have them install a doggy door." Ryan said as he hugged me goodbye.

For a moment the sheer domestic bliss of having the man of my dreams hug me as I went off to work threatened to overwhelm me. A tear trickled from my eye.

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked.

"Nothing." I said, hugging him and planting a chaste kiss on his lips. "Everything is perfect."


	42. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

And that's the end of part 3. It was kind of sudden, I know, and the I'm sorry about how short the last chapter was, but there was really nothing left to say, for now at least. I hope everyone liked it.

Once again I'd like to give credit to the late and great Clark Ashton Smith and H. P. Lovecraft for inspiring some of the horrible things in this story.

Several people have suggested that I come up with a name for this trilogy as a whole, but I'm at a loss about what to call it, so if anyone has any suggestions, let me know.

For now I'm going to alternate my time between trying to write something original (as opposed to another fanfic) and editing this series from the beginning. After that I may have one or two more stories in this series left in me, maybe.

_-BitterGrin_


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